LEADER OF THE HOUSE

House of Lords

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions the Government were defeated in the House of Lords during this Session; on how many occasions the effect of defeats involving legislation were reversed by this House; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: There were 51 such occasions up to 14 July in the current Session. This figure covers Divisions in which Government Tellers were appointed.
	There is no clear definition of a reversal of the effect of a defeat, since the response from this House, as well as outright acceptance or rejection of a Lords amendment, includes a range of possibilities such as partial acceptance or related amendments elsewhere in the Bill.

Parliamentary Answers

Andrew Turner: To ask the Leader of the House what steps he has taken since his appointment to improve the  (a) timeliness and  (b) content of parliamentary answers; and what information he collects on the percentage of answers which are given later than (i) the day named and (ii) the conventional deadline for written questions.

Jack Straw: Since my appointment I have made clear to the House the importance I attach to the timeliness and quality of responses to parliamentary questions tabled in the House. As I have indicated to the House, I have raised the matter directly with ministerial colleagues.
	Ministers recognise their obligation under the ministerial code to give accurate and truthful information to Parliament and to be as open as possible with Parliament. Ministers also recognise the requirements that a written question tabled for a named day should receive an answer on that day and an ordinary written question should receive a substantive response within a working week of it being tabled.
	My office offers guidance to other Departments about the handling of responses to parliamentary questions. Departments are responsible for keeping their own records on the timeliness of answers and provide this information to the House when requested by the Select Committee on Public Administration or through Members' questions. I also intend regularly to monitor these statistics from the start of the next Session.

Short Money

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how many members of staff are paid for out of Short money on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition; how many staff were paid for from this allowance in each of the previous four years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for what purposes Short money may be used; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Short money is given to Opposition parties to help them to carry out their parliamentary business. This can include research associated with Front-Bench duties, developing and communicating alternative policies to those of the Government and shadowing the Government's Front Bench. There is specific provision for meeting costs necessarily incurred in running the office of the Leader of the Opposition. Each Opposition party has to provide a certificate from an independent auditor each year to the effect that all the expenses claimed were in respect of the party's parliamentary business. No information is available to me about the number of staff employed by the Leader of the Opposition who are paid from Short money.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliamentary Website

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will ensure that the parliament.uk website advanced search function displays all document types that have been published since May; and what steps are being taken to remedy technical problems with the site.

Nick Harvey: As the advisory notice on the advanced search page makes clear, accurate searches of all document types since May cannot currently be guaranteed, although the general search facility is fully operational. Only the content of the  Official Report is affected, and remedial work is under way to restore full functionality to the advanced search function in the near future.

World Squares for All Group

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on what basis staff from the Parliamentary Works Directorate sit as members of the client team of the World Squares for All group; what remit staff have been given in connection with this work; and under whose authority staff are members of the group.

Nick Harvey: The World Squares for All steering group overseeing the feasibility study on Parliament Square includes representatives from a number of bodies who have an interest in Parliament Square and its environs. All the bodies are represented by officials rather than elected members.
	Those represented include Westminster City Council, the Greater London Authority, English Heritage, the Royal Parks Agency, the Parliamentary Estate, Transport for London, the Cabinet Office and Westminster Abbey.
	The Director of Estates represents the Parliamentary Estate on the World Squares for All steering group. His role is to act as liaison between the parliamentary authorities and the steering group. He ensures that the steering group is made aware of the impact of any proposals or potential issues and their impacts and effects on the Parliamentary Estate, ensuring these are fully understood by the group and their consultants.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department is making available for home-grown biofuel production in Swindon.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 27 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 257-8W.

Diesel Spills

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with oil companies and retailers measures that could be taken to reduce the risk of diesel spills to motorcycle users.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government's Motorcycling Strategy sets out how we are working closely with a range of interested organisations to develop a clear understanding of the road safety risk of diesel spillage and to develop solutions. This is being taken forward in the Motorcycle Technical, Engineering and Environmental task group and the Traffic Management, Planning and Transport Policy task group, within which motorcycle users are already involved. I would welcome the involvement of oil companies and retailers and will ask the groups to see how this could be encouraged.

Driving Standards Agency

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department has issued to the Driving Standards Agency in the last two years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport has given guidance on the following topics to the Driving Standards Agency within the last two years:
	Business Planning
	Performance Management
	Risk Management
	Value for Money
	Legal advice

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) original estimate was and  (b) most recent estimate is of the cost of the planned driving test supercentres.

Stephen Ladyman: The costs of the Multi-Purpose Test Centres project were originally estimated at £60 million; the latest version of the business case shows that they have reduced to £55 million.

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made with the programme of new driving test supercentres; how many are planned; how many are open; in which locations; and what the timetable is for future sites for which land purchases are required.

Stephen Ladyman: A total of 68 Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTCs) are planned throughout England, Wales and Scotland. To date, sites have been acquired for seven new MPTCs at Shrewsbury, Newport, East Lothian, Gloucester, Ipswich, Upminster and Swansea.
	Nineteen sites are forecast to become operational before 31 March 2007. None of the new test centres has yet opened, but the centre at Quedgeley in Gloucester will become operational during September 2006.
	All the remaining sites are planned to be operational by October 2008. This will meet the implementation date of the European Community Directive 2000/56/EC.

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving test appointments were  (a) kept,  (b) cancelled by the test centre and  (c) cancelled by those taking the test in each of the last five years (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) region and (B) test centre.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table shows the number of driving test appointments kept and cancelled by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) for the last five years, for each DSA region and nationally. We do not hold records of volumes of tests cancelled at test centre level or those cancelled by customers.
	
		
			   Applications  Cancelled  Kept 
			  2001-02
			 Nationally 1,504,892 21,469 1,483,423 
			 London 359,256 7,018 352,238 
			 Midlands 396,310 6,307 390,003 
			 Wales 264,601 3,215 261,386 
			 Northern 365,006 3,964 361,042 
			 Scotland 120,042 965 119,077 
			 
			  2002-03
			 Nationally 1,633,249 32,404 1,600,845 
			 London 375,495 5,783 369,712 
			 Midlands 436,990 14,211 422,779 
			 Wales 295,995 4,371 291,624 
			 Northern 396,944 6,811 390,133 
			 Scotland 127,825 1,228 126,597 
			 
			  2003-04
			 Nationally 1,483,423 56,222 1,427,201 
			 London 352,238 12,134 340,104 
			 Midlands 390,003 21,461 368,542 
			 Wales 261,386 7,116 254,270 
			 Northern 361,042 13,826 347,216 
			 Scotland 119,077 1,685 117,392 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Nationally 2,019,042 50,921 1,968,121 
			 London 449,034 20,390 428,644 
			 Midlands 546,874 13,411 533,463 
			 Wales 362,470 5,261 357,209 
			 Northern 518,532 11,144 507,388 
			 Scotland 142,132 715 141,417 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Nationally 2,184,289 43,391 2,140,898 
			 London 490,474 18,733 471,741 
			 Midlands 585,842 10,233 575,609 
			 Wales 399,346 6,441 392,905 
			 Northern 548,673 6,737 541,936 
			 Scotland 159,954 1,247 158,707 
		
	
	All test types are included, except for 2003-04 and 2005-06 when Approved Driving Instructor qualifying tests are excluded. This is because DSA's targets for keeping appointments did not distinguish between test types in the other years.

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the costs associated with the cancellation of a driving test appointment.

Stephen Ladyman: During the year 2005-06, the average compensation payment made by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) for cancelling a car test was about £35. The total paid in compensation was some £311,000.

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Driving Standards Agency on the hazard perception test; and if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence with the agency in relation to this issue.

Stephen Ladyman: Department for Transport Ministers have frequent meetings with Driving Standards Agency officials, as with officials from other parts of the Department, to discuss a range of issues.

Driving Tests

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has conducted into the effectiveness of the hazard perception test as part of the driving test.

Stephen Ladyman: In advance of the introduction of the hazard perception test the Department commissioned extensive research, including the following:
	1998—The effects of hazard perception training on the development of novice driver skills. DETR Road Safety Research Report No. 4.
	2000—Novice drivers' safety. DETR Road Safety Research Series No.2.
	2002—The development of hazard perception testing. TRL Report TRL558.
	Copies of the two DETR reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House. All reports are available from the DfT website (www.dt.gov.uk).
	The Department is currently conducting further research which will evaluate the effectiveness of the hazard perception test.

Eurostar

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where the unused regional Eurostar trains are stored; and what the cost to public funds has been of the unused trains.

Derek Twigg: The regional Eurostars are not in store. Five are in the course of modification and the other two are being used for testing of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Hastings to Bexhill Link Road

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the proposed Hastings to Bexhill link road.

Stephen Ladyman: All major schemes are assessed against the Government's five overarching objectives of safety, environment, economy, integration and accessibility. The environmental impact of this scheme was considered before provisionally approving the Bexhill to Hastings link road in the December 2004 local transport capital settlement.

Overseas HGVs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the number of heavy goods vehicles from overseas using roads in England and Wales.

Stephen Ladyman: Estimates of the number of foreign registered heavy goods vehicles on roads in Britain are not available. However, estimated numbers leaving the UK are published in table 1 of the quarterly bulletin, "Road Goods Vehicles Travelling to Mainland Europe". A copy of this bulletin is available on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats_611744.hcsp

Transport Operational Command Unit

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many arrests by the Metropolitan Police's Transport Operational Command Unit have led to successful prosecutions.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	An accurate figure showing the number of successful prosecutions resulting from Transport Operational Command Unit (TOCU) specific arrests is not available.
	The TOCU covers all London boroughs. In the 2005-06 planning year TOCU police officers arrested 7,952 suspects. They were all processed through one of the 32 Borough Operational Command Unit criminal justice units covering the areas of arrest.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which stations will have fewer stopping services  (a) under new franchise agreements completed by his Department since it took over responsibility for franchising from the Strategic Rail Authority and  (b) under the specifications for new franchise agreements which are currently subject to a tendering process.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport completed franchise agreements for the Great Western, Thameslink/Great Northern and Integrated Kent franchises in December 2005.
	Present service levels are contained in the National Rail timetable published by Network Rail. Service levels to be provided under the Greater Western franchise with effect from December 2006 are set out in the consultation timetable published by First Great Western in January 2006, as amended by the operator in announcements on 3 April and 15 June 2006. No changes to Thameslink/Great Northern services are proposed. Future changes to services in the Integrated Kent franchise are set out in briefing documents published on the Department's website.
	The South Western franchise tenders have been received. The detailed specification for this is available on the Department's web site.
	The specification for the new Cross Country, West Midlands and East Midlands franchises is still being prepared and will not be finalised until October 2006.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of the rail rolling stock operated by each train operating company.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 24 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 1990-2W to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Rowen). The average age has not changed materially since this date.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the potential total saving from the Government's decision to specify a reduction in the number of services on some lines and to some stations in the First Great Western franchise area as part of the franchise renewal process.

Derek Twigg: The subsidy/premium profile for the Greater Western franchise has been published on the Department's website. This can be compared with the subsidy and premiums associated with the former constituent franchises (First Great Western, First Great Western Link and Wessex Trains) in 2005-06, published by the Office of Rail Regulation in its document "National Rail Trends Yearbook" and is available on its website.

Railways

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of trains in each franchise were delayed in the last year for which figures are available; and what average number of trains per day were delayed in each franchise.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held by the Department in the format requested.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) incidents there were of and  (b) prosecutions there were for (i) vandalism and (ii) trespass on railway lines in each British Transport police area in relation to (A) adults and (B) juveniles in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to vandalism and trespass on railway lines is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn. police.uk.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of arson on the railways there have been since April 2003, broken down by  (a) train operating company and  (b) route.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to arson on the railways is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail: general.enquiries@.btp.pnn.police.uk.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) incidents there were of and  (b) prosecutions there were for (i) criminal damage and malicious mischief and (ii) trespass on rail lines in relation to (A) adults and (B) juveniles in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to criminal damage and trespass on railway lines is held by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN. E-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Road Safety

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road deaths there have been in the Leicester city council area in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of fatalities in personal injury road accidents in the City of Leicester in each year from 2001 to 2005 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Fatalities in City of Leicester: 2001-05 
			   Number 
			 2001 10 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 7 
			 2004 11 
			 2005 10

Road Safety

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in  (a) the Leicestershire county council area and  (b) in Leicester city.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the number of speed camera sites, broken down by type, which are operated by the Leicestershire Safety Camera Partnership.
	
		
			   Leicestershire  Leicester city  Total 
			 Fixed 8 7 15 
			 Mobile 43 22 65 
			 Total 51 29 80 
		
	
	There may be several camera housings contained within one site. The police have the discretion to enforce speed limits outside the national safety camera programme, and this could happen anywhere on the road network.

Road Safety

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were  (a) killed and  (b) injured in road traffic accidents in (i) the London borough of Bexley and (ii) Greater London in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries in (i) the London borough of Bexley and (ii) Greater London resulting from personal injury road accidents reported to the police(1) in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of fatalities and injuries in personal injury road accidents( 1)  in Bexley and Greater London: 2001-2005 
			   Bexley  Greater London 
			   Fatalities  Injured( 2)  Fatalities  Injured( 2) 
			 2001 8 892 300 44,322 
			 2002 8 976 281 41,227 
			 2003 4 762 272 38,205 
			 2004 2 730 216 34,365 
			 2005 6 660 214 31,691 
			 (1) Reported to the police (2) Includes serious and slight injuries.

Street Lighting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned on the impact on road safety of removing or restricting the use of street lighting in rural and semi-rural areas.

Stephen Ladyman: Research has not been undertaken or commissioned by this Department specifically on the impact on road safety of removing or restricting the use of street lighting in rural or semi-rural areas.
	The Highways Agency is currently reviewing the technical standard that sets the criteria for provision of road lighting on the strategic road network, including the road safety benefits.

Train Overcrowding

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding on trains; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: We are currently seeing huge growth in the railways, with more than 1 billion passengers carried last year, and this is set to continue. To help meet this challenge we are investing record amounts in the network.
	Focus is being given to improving timetabling, infrastructure maintenance and renewals and other factors that can impact on reliable delivery of train services, which in turn will impact on crowding levels. We are also considering different measures to increase the capacity of the network, from train layout and length, turnaround times and infrastructure improvements. Major investment programmes such as the West Coast Main Line modernisation project have already seen capacity improvements.
	It is for the train operating companies to take decisions about the deployment of rolling stock. We will continue to review train counts and train plans to assess whether resources are being deployed effectively.

Transport Innovation Fund

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role the Transport Innovation Fund will play in generating sustainable increases in national productivity.

Stephen Ladyman: Through its productivity strand the Transport Innovation Fund will support national, inter-regional, regional, inter-urban (and exceptionally local) transport schemes which are expected to make a substantial and sustainable contribution to national productivity.

Wide Loads

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what guidelines his Department has issued to  (a) police constabularies and  (b) the Highways Agency regarding the movement of wide loads on roads;
	(2)  if he will introduce guidelines to police constabularies and the Highways Agency that wide loads should not be moved during peak times on motorways and major trunk roads.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has not issued any specific guidelines.
	We have published a code of practice on the self-escorting of abnormal loads, prepared jointly by the Department, the Highways Agency, the police and haulage associations. It encourages scheduling movements at off-peak times when there is less traffic.
	The Highways Agency and the police would normally restrict the movement of wide loads that have a significant impact on other road users to times which cause minimum disruption. However, disruption to other road users is not the only consideration. Other factors, such as safety, security and environmental issues (such as noise and disturbance in residential areas) can influence the timetabling of movements.
	As there is already a general acceptance that loads should be moved at off-peak times I do not feel that there is a need to issue any specific guidelines. However, this remains under review.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria he has agreed with the greyhound racing industry in order to allow it to self-regulate in terms of animal welfare; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has set up a Greyhound Working Group to examine the welfare aspects of greyhound racing and to offer advice to Ministers and officials on future regulations and a code of practice.
	The group has yet to make any recommendations. Our preference is that, whenever possible, welfare standards should be regulated by the industry. Self-regulation must be open and auditable, with the standards set and the effectiveness of the enforcers monitored by central Government.

Diversity Action Plan

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on the Countryside Agency's Diversity Review; how much he expects the consultation "Outdoors for All?" draft diversity action plan will cost; and how much has been allocated to the running costs of the diversity action plan for each year of its planned duration.

Barry Gardiner: Between 2002 and 2005 the Countryside Agency spent some £1.74 million on the diversity review. In 2006-07 spending on the consultation exercise on the draft diversity action plan is expected to be in the region of £1 million.
	No firm figures are available on costs from 2007 onwards. A draft action plan is currently the subject of a public consultation exercise, and until that has been completed no conclusions can be reached about the activities to be undertaken during the 10-year life of the plan or their cost. The agency has estimated that the cost of pursuing the draft action plan might be in the region of £25 million over its 10-year life.

Energy Efficiency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect on energy consumption of energy efficiency measures over the last 10 years.

Ian Pearson: Figures for the effect on energy consumption within the UK by energy-saving measures for this particular period are not readily available. However, for the climate change programme review, we prepared estimates of the effects on carbon emissions for the household sector in the 1990s and separately for the present decade.
	The Government estimate that energy efficiency improvements in the household sector in the 1990s would have contributed around 4.5 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) of emissions reductions, that is, some 12 per cent. of 1990 emissions. At the same time, growth in demand for underlying energy services—warmer homes, hot water—would have increased emissions by 11.5 MtC; the increase in the use of gas for generating electricity instead of coal in the 1990s, which reduced emissions from power stations, and so reduced the associated emissions from electricity use in homes, businesses, etc, would have decreased emissions by 8 MtC; and smaller factors, mainly fuel switching by householders and changes to external temperatures, would have contributed a further 1 MtC of reductions. The overall effect on emissions was a net reduction of around 2.5 MtC.
	In the present decade, before the effects of policies are included, we estimate that background energy efficiency would save a further 4.5 MtC. Increasing demand for energy services, together with the effects of the other factors described earlier, means that the net overall reduction in this period would be approximately 0.3 MtC.
	The estimated effect of all the energy efficiency policies for households set out in the new UK climate change programme 2006, is an additional reduction of 4.8 MtC by 2010. Most of these savings are expected to be delivered between 2005 and 2010, through tighter building regulations and further activity under the energy efficiency commitment.
	Data are not available to conduct similar analyses for the industry and service sectors, but the contribution of energy efficiency is expected to be similar in percentage terms.

Environment Agency

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency's outstanding borrowing is under sections 48 to 50 of the Environment Act 1995; and how much of that borrowing is in relation to meeting obligations related to its navigation responsibilities.

Barry Gardiner: The Environment Agency has no outstanding borrowing. Its financial memorandum is very restrictive as to the circumstances under which its borrowing powers can be exercised and those powers have not been exercised. Therefore, there is no outstanding borrowing relating to the agency's navigation function.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the Environment Agency has reduced the fish movement enforcement budget.

Ben Bradshaw: The fisheries grant in aid was increased by £3 million a year from 2002, and since 1997 the Government have given around £60 million to the Environment Agency to support its fisheries activities. At present, every Government Department is under instructions to make efficiency savings. This generally involves a fundamental review of the work to be done, and a reprioritisation of our responsibilities and how we manage them. Consequently, the Environment Agency GIA was reduced this year by £400,000.
	Of the £5.8 million in GIA, £600,000 is spent on compliance checking and enforcement of fish movements. A reduction in GIA therefore necessitated a reduction in funding for work in this area by £150,000. If sales of rod licences are above target this year the agency may be able to make good part or all of this cut.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the Environment Agency has reduced funding for the salmonid improvement project.

Ben Bradshaw: The fisheries grant in aid was increased by £3 million a year from 2002, and since 1997 the Government have given around £60 million to the Environment Agency to support its fisheries activities. At present every Government Department is under instructions to make efficiency savings. This generally involves a fundamental review of the work to be done, and a reprioritisation of our responsibilities and how we manage them. As a result the Environment Agency has had its fisheries grant in aid (GIA) reduced this year by £400,000.
	Consequently, since the majority of the £5.8 million GIA is spent on salmonid work, a reduction in GIA necessitated a reduction in work in this area and the agency reduced its salmonid improvement project by half, to £250,000.

Recreational Boaters

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which recreational users receive services provided by the Environment Agency on its inland and coastal waterways.

Barry Gardiner: In line with the Government's policies on health, recreation and social inclusion the Environment Agency has a duty to have regard for all recreational users.

Waste Incineration Directive

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued to the Environment Agency concerning the enforcement of the Waste Incineration Directive in relation to the burning of tallow; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 July 2006
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 13 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1956W.
	General guidance on the waste incineration directive's scope, regulatory and technical requirements was updated in June this year and is available at the following address:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ppc/wasteincin/pdf/wid-guidance-edition3.pdf.

Water Companies

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the projected rate of return on capital allowed under agreed plans for 2005-10 with Ofwat is for each water company; and what rate of return on capital was achieved by each company in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat publishes pre-tax rates of return—measured as operating profit as a percentage of regulatory capital value—in its annual report "Financial performance and expenditure of the water companies in England and Wales". Post-tax returns have not previously been published. The figures in the table have been calculated as operating profit less current tax, as a percentage of regulatory capital value.
	At the 2004 price review, Ofwat set a real terms post-tax return of 5.1 per cent. When comparing this to actual returns the comparable rate is the "Vanilla WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital)". This is on a real basis and assumes a pre-tax cost of debt and post-tax cost of equity—on this basis the return that Ofwat set was 5.8 per cent.
	Water only companies were allowed a premium on the return of 0.3—0.9 per cent.
	At price limits, Ofwat takes companies' particular levels of debt into account before allowing for tax.
	
		
			  Post tax return 
			  Percentage 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Anglian 5.1 6.2 4.0 6.4 5.5 
			 Dwr Cymru 5.4 5.9 4.6 4.1 4.6 
			 Northumbrian 5.9 6.3 5.2 4.6 5.6 
			 Severn Trent 7.0 6.9 6.1 6.1 5.9 
			 South West 6.7 6.5 6.5 6.2 4.8 
			 Southern 6.1 5.2 5.1 4.2 5.0 
			 Thames 3.4 6.7 6.3 5.4 5.6 
			 United Utilities 5.7 6.0 5.7 6.0 6.5 
			 Wessex 6.9 6.7 9.1 7.7 7.1 
			 Yorkshire 5.6 6.4 5.9 5.4 6.0 
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire 4.8 5.5 4.7 4.7 5.2 
			 Bristol 6.4 6.4 6.6 6.1 4.0 
			 Cambridge 5.5 6.4 7.4 23.0 9.0 
			 Dee Valley 8.4 8.4 5.1 7.2 8.6 
			 Folkestone and Dover 9.4 9.3 8.1 6.3 7.4 
			 Mid Kent 5.9 6.9 3.1 6.9 6.4 
			 Portsmouth 9.8 8.6 6.4 6.6 6.3 
			 South East 6.8 6.5 6.3 5.1 2.5 
			 South Staffordshire 7.1 6.6 7.5 6.5 6.8 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 6.3 9.9 10.9 6.6 9.6 
			 Tendring Hundred 6.4 6.9 5.9 6.6 6.7 
			 Three Valleys 6.1 6.3 5.1 3.8 6.3 
			 Industry 5.6 6.3 5.7 5.7 5.7

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will list in date order the  (a) Green and  (b) White Papers produced by the Law Officers' Departments since October 2005.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Identity Theft

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1602, on identity theft, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the prosecution of cases of identity theft.

Mike O'Brien: I have had no recent discussions.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Carbon Capture

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what research he has commissioned on advanced coal technologies and carbon capture and storage since 1997; and what the cost was of such research.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK's Cleaner Coal Technology programme started in 1999. Under this programme we have supported 48 collaborative R and D projects on advanced coal technologies through four calls to the value of £13 million as well as a significant number of small R and D projects in collaboration with British Coal Utilisation Research Association for which some £150,000 per year was allocated. In all 174 Cleaner Coal projects have been supported to date, with an additional £3.5 million provided for collaborative Cleaner Coal Technology projects with the USA since then. Under the Department's New Technology programme (the successor to the Cleaner Coal programme) £3.5 million was set aside for carbon abatement (including carbon capture and storage) R and D projects during 2005-06.
	We published two reports produced internally investigating carbon capture and storage and the results of these can be found in "The Review of Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK" and "The Carbon Abatement Technology (CAT) Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use", both of which can be found in the Libraries of the House. Both reports can also be found on the DTI Website at
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/co2capture/review.pdf
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/cct/pub/catreportlinked.pdf.

Coal Industry

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what opportunities will be available via the Coal Forum proposed in the Energy Review to discuss development and export opportunities for clean coal and carbon capture from coal-fired generation.

Malcolm Wicks: As stated in the "Energy Review Report" further information about the Forum's remit and particulars will be announced shortly. We will need to take views on how the participants in the Coal Forum will wish to address the clean coal and CCS part of their remit.

Departmental Redundancies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for  (a) voluntary and  (b) compulsory redundancies in his Department during the (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08 financial years; what discussions he has had with the Treasury about providing funding for this; what discussions he has had with trade unions representing officials in his Department about such redundancies; how many officials in his Department have (A) taken voluntary severance and (B) been made redundant in each month since January, broken down by (1) Directorate and (2) grade; what discussions he has had with the Treasury about head count reduction in his Department; when he expects to reach agreement with the Treasury about the next Comprehensive Spending Review; if he will place in the Library copies of advice his Department provides to officials on taking voluntary redundancy; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This answer applies to the "core" DTI and excludes UKTI and all Executive agencies. The Department has just completed a voluntary early severance/retirement scheme and is currently considering whether any further schemes may be needed in the future to support further reductions in posts.
	No formal discussions have been held with HM Treasury about funding of redundancy schemes.
	The Department holds regular meetings with the departmental trade union side to discuss potential staff surpluses and proposals for early severance schemes and is currently discussing with the unions implications for staff of meeting the Department's reduced administration budget.
	The following table sets out the number of officials who have taken voluntary severance/retirement and compulsory redundancy since January 2006:
	
		
			  2006  Grade  Voluntary early severance or retirement  Redundancy 
			 January Range 5 (Executive Officer) 1 — 
			 
			 February Range 3 (Administrative Officer) 1 — 
			  Range 6 (Executive Officer) 1 — 
			  Range 10 (Grade 7) 1 — 
			 
			 March Range 2 (Administrative Assistance) 4 — 
			  Range 3 1 — 
			  Range 4 (Administrative Officer) 2 — 
			  Range 5 2 — 
			  Range 6 1 15 
			  Range 7 (Higher Executive Officer) 3 — 
			  Range 8 (Higher Executive Officer) 2 1 
			  Range 9 (Senior Executive Officer) — 2 
			  Range 10 3 1 
			  Range 11 (Grade 6) 1 — 
			 
			 April Senior Civil Service 1 — 
			 
			 June Range 2 1 — 
			  Range 3 2 — 
			  Range 4 1 — 
			  Range 9 1 — 
			 Total  29 19 
		
	
	
		
			  Group  Voluntary severance/retirement  Compulsory redundancy 
			 Business/Innovation 13 19 
			 Energy 3 — 
			 Services 7 — 
			 Fair Markets 1 — 
			 Legal 3 — 
			 UKTI 2 — 
			 Total 29 19 
		
	
	The Department is working closely with HMT colleagues on preparations for the next Comprehensive Spending Review which should be resolved by summer 2007. Early discussions with the Treasury have focused on how the Department can make savings across all its budgets, including in the administration of the Department.
	Staff considering voluntary early departures are able to access the Cabinet Office pensions website which explains the benefits available under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and those accepting are invited to attend either a pre-retirement course or a course covering job search, setting up a business and pursuing self-employment.

Droit de Suite

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the total sum to be paid in 2006 to  (a) artists and  (b) artists' families as a result of the Droit de Suite law.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Artist's resale right is a new right in the UK and it is not possible accurately to predict the amount of royalties that will be paid this year. However, a study conducted before the directive was implemented, based on 2001-02 figures, estimated that, had the right existed during this period, approximately £1.8 million would have been paid to artists for sales of their works. A later study based on the period of March 2003 to February 2004 indicated that the total would be approximately £1.4 million.
	In 2006 no money will be paid to the families of artists as the UK has used a derogation within the directive and the right does not currently apply to works where the artist is deceased.

Ethnic Diversity

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to promote ethnic diversity in the workplace.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has a public service agreement (shared with the Department for Work and Pensions) to significantly increase the employment rate of ethnic minorities. DTI is part of the Ethnic Minority Employment Task force—the Government-wide group tasked with increasing ethnic minority employment.
	The DTI also brought in regulations outlawing workplace discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.
	DTI funds ACAS and BusinessLink who both provide advice to businesses on equality issues and increasing ethnic diversity in the workforce.

FIFA World Cup

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which matches  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contributions from third party organisations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor any of the Ministers in his Department attended FIFA World Cup 2006 matches in Germany.

Fuel Poverty

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many households in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas were classified as being in fuel poverty in each year since 1997; and what each figure represents per 1,000 total households.

Malcolm Wicks: The numbers of urban, suburban and rural households in fuel poverty in England are presented for all available years since 1996 using the current fuel poverty methodology. The analyses for the years 2003 and 2004 have been done using the respective combined years' datasets of the English House Condition Survey.
	Note that all figures are quoted to the nearest 100,000 households. Because of rounding, totals may not sum to the official fuel poverty statistics. Small inter-year variations may also be due to rounding and may not be statistically significant.
	
		
			  Number of fuel poor households 
			  Thousand 
			   1996  2001  2003  2004 
			 Urban 1200 500 400 300 
			 Suburban 3000 800 500 600 
			 Rural 1000 500 300 300 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of fuel poor households per 1000 total households 
			   1996  2001  2003  2004 
			 Urban 282 93 70 68 
			 Suburban 253 72 48 50 
			 Rural 258 110 76 74

National Grid

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Scottish Executive,  (b) Ofgem and  (c) the National Grid company regarding undersea connector cables linking Orkney and Shetland to the National Grid; and when he anticipates these connections being in place.

Malcolm Wicks: None.
	The provision of a cable connection to the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands is a matter for the transmission licensee for the relevant area—in this case Scottish and Southern (SHETL). It is the responsibility of Ofgem to ensure that any expenditure incurred in constructing the cable is economically and efficiently incurred.
	Officials from this Department have held discussions with the Scottish Executive and Ofgem on the most appropriate way of facilitating those connections.

Nuclear Power

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department has received from commercial energy companies regarding  (a) whether Government subsidies would be required to make the construction and operation of new nuclear generating stations viable and  (b) the level of subsidy which would be required per nuclear generating station.

Malcolm Wicks: All responses to the energy review consultation exercise, which closed on 14 April 2006, have been posted on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review/consultation-submissions/page27883.html.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to discuss with directors of  (a) the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and  (b) the Office for Civil Nuclear Security the adequacy of safety and security inspectors in the event that private operators come forward with proposals to build new nuclear power plants.

Malcolm Wicks: Issues relating to the allocation of existing regulatory staff, or the recruitment of additional staff to deal with proposals for new nuclear power plants, will be a matter for the directors of the respective independent regulators.
	The availability of regulatory resources is one issue amongst many that would feature in any future discussions that the Department held on such proposals.

Postal Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the future of the Post Office network.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI is backing the efforts of the management of Post Office Ltd. to turn the business around and create a network appropriate for the 21st century. We have invested over £2 billion in total since 1999 to help them to do so.
	We want to see a Post Office network that meets the needs of today and the future and not those of 20 or 30 years ago. The DTI are discussing with other Government Departments and Post Office Ltd. how we can best achieve this.

Postal Services

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on employment in  (a) Blaenau Gwent and  (b) other local economies of the closure of local post offices.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are committed to a viable Post Office network and have invested more than £2 billion to help maintain it. We continue to support the rural post office network with annual Social Network Payments of £150 million until 2008 and the policy of preventing avoidable closures of rural post offices remains in place. The Department is in discussion with Post Office Ltd. and other Government Departments about the future of the network. Decisions will be taken after proper consideration of all the issues.

Postal Services

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place between  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department and Royal Mail on the new pricing system due to be introduced on 21 August; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. This is a matter for Postcomm, the independent regulator for postal services.
	Postcomm's decision to introduce pricing in proportion followed extensive consultations and detailed discussions with Royal Mail.

Postal Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the Post Office on the accuracy of post box collection times; and how many  (a) early and  (b) late collections were recorded in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. This is an operational matter for Royal Mail. Adam Crozier, the Chief Executive of Royal Mail has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Royal Mail

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place between Royal Mail and officials from his Department about the percentage of shares to be retained by the Government after the proposed employee share scheme.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Royal Mail has submitted proposals on an employee share ownership scheme and these proposals are currently under consideration by the Department. Ministers and officials meet Royal Mail representatives on a regular basis and have discussed these proposals with them. No decisions have been made on whether to introduce a share scheme.

Royal Mail

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions have taken place between his Department and Royal Mail on possible job losses in the Royal Mail group.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have given the Royal Mail group greater commercial freedom and have established an arm's length relationship so that the board can operate the business as it decides best to meet the challenges of market development and changing customer needs.
	The Department has held discussions with Royal Mail about its plans to modernise the business through the introduction of new technology and equipment. It is for the Royal Mail management to decide on the appropriate size of the Royal Mail work force as a result of this modernisation.

Royal Mail

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Government funding has been provided to the Royal Mail in each of the last five years; and how it has been allocated.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Government support has been provided by permitting Royal Mail and POL to utilise accumulated profits held in reserves on the Royal Mail balance sheet and direct funding from Government. These amount to £2 billion since 1998. The direct funding related to the urban reinvention programme and Your Guide were provided as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Urban Reinvention  Your Guide 
			 2001-02 — — 
			 2002-03 10,896 25,000 
			 2003-04 72,359 — 
			 2004-05 72,812 — 
			 2005-06 17,869 — 
		
	
	In 2003, loan facilities amounting to £1,044,000 were put in place but Royal Mail has not drawn down on these.

Small Arms Trade

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will bring forward legislation to control the overseas brokering of small arms by UK citizens and UK registered companies.

Malcolm Wicks: Controls on the trafficking and brokering of military goods were introduced in 2004. Trafficking and brokering of small arms done overseas by UK persons already requires a UK trade licence when the goods are being transferred to an embargoed destination (and a licence would normally be refused).
	I am planning next year to review the effectiveness of the controls introduced in 2004 and would be happy at that stage to consider the scope of their application.

South East England Development Agency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual expenditure of the South East England Development Agency in each  (a) county and  (b) unitary authority in the south-east of England was in each year since its inception.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to the question answered on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, Columns 43-44W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Slave Trade

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had on establishing a national slavery memorial day.

David Lammy: There is already a UN International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23 August. Some cities in the UK, such as Liverpool, already mark this with a significant range of events and activities. With the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade approaching in 2007, some members of the Deputy Prime Minister's Advisory Group, and others, have asked for a memorial day specific to Britain. There are differences of opinion about which date is most appropriate, and whether the focus should be on a day or other commemorative activities. Our aim is to ensure that all communities are able to mark this important event in ways that they feel are most appropriate.

Tourism (South West)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists have visited the South West region in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 18 July 2006
	The following tables set out the number of visits to the South West region from (i) overseas and (ii) the UK where this included an overnight stay. Information is provided between 2000 and 2005; equivalent data prior to this period are not available.
	
		
			  Inbound visits to the South West by year 
			   Visit (all) 
			 2000 2,042 
			 2001 1,689 
			 2002 1,852 
			 2003 1,885 
			 2004 2,033 
			 2005 (1)2,137 
			 (1 )2005 data are provisional.  Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Domestic overnight trips to the South West by year 
			   Visit (all) 
			 2000 24,700 
			 2001 25,200 
			 2002 26,000 
			 2003 22,800 
			 2004 (1)20,500 
			 2005 (2)21,280 
			 (1 )VisitBritain believes the old UKTS methodology significantly underreported 2004. (2) In 2005 an improved methodology was introduced for UKTS so direct comparison with previous years is not appropriate.  Source: UK Tourism Survey (National Tourist Boards) 
		
	
	In addition, the South West region receives a substantial number of day visitors; the last Leisure Day Visitors Survey in 2002-03 recorded a total of 48 million day visitors to the region.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid his Department is providing to people displaced from eastern Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: There are three types of internally displaced people (IDPs) in eastern Burma. These are (with the latest available numbers, from October 2005): (i) people in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas administered by ethnic nationalities (340,000); (ii) villagers who have been evicted by the Burmese Government and moved into designated relocation sites (108,000); and (iii) civilians hiding from the Burmese Army in areas most affected by armed conflict (92,000).
	The recent military offensive against the Karen people has swelled the number of civilians hiding in conflict areas by at least 15,000. DFID's approach to providing emergency assistance to these IDPs has been to work through local community groups inside Burma. This is a complementary approach to the use of relief teams operating cross-border from Thailand, and it enables access to IDPs who would not be reached by any other means, and through a mechanism which is much less-well supported by other donors. The development of civil society within the country is also a fundamental step in a successful transition to democracy.
	The number of IDPs that we can reach from inside the country is limited. Access is difficult, and the small local groups with whom we are working do not currently have the capacity to deliver greater volumes of emergency relief—although we are working to strengthen their ability to do more. Those delivering assistance to IDPs cross-border from Thailand face similar challenges. Therefore, we recognise the importance of maintaining co-ordination with all donors (both those delivering assistance cross border, and those working inside the country) to ensure that together we manage to reach as many IDPs as possible.
	DFID also provides support to IDPs in temporary settlements in ceasefire areas in eastern Burma through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to which we provide £500,000 a year, of which approximately 75 per cent. is attributable to work with displaced people in this area.
	In addition, our health, education and rural livelihood projects provide assistance in eastern Burma, and support internally displaced people in temporary settlements and designated relocation sites there, as well as other vulnerable people.
	DFID is also providing support to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working among displaced Burmese people in the refugee camps on the Thai side of the Thai-Burma border—as a grant to the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) of £1.8 million over three years. In addition, the UK contributes approximately the same amount again as its share of the EC's support to the TBBC. The British Embassy in Bangkok advocates on behalf of Burmese refugees living in Thailand through the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to improve the situation in the refugee camps in Thailand and to bring about a relaxation of the regulations prohibiting freedom of movement and employment outside the camps.
	In parallel, the Government fully support international efforts, particularly through the UN, to bring about tangible progress in restoring democratic freedoms and full respect for human rights. The UK has co-sponsored successive highly critical UN resolutions on Burma and played a leading role in drafting the resolution most recently adopted at the UN General Assembly in December 2005. This expressed grave concern at the attacks by military forces in violation of cease-fire agreements and called on the regime to end the systematic violations of human rights, including enforced displacement.
	UN Security Council members last discussed the situation in Burma on 16 December under 'Any Other Business'. In this discussion, the UK highlighted the on-going human rights abuses, the detention of political prisoners, internal conflicts and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Though there was no consensus to issue a presidential statement or other formal report, the discussions reflected the concern felt in many parts of the international community over the regime's failure to make progress towards democracy and to respect international human rights norms. At present there is no agreement within the Security Council, including among the permanent members, to add Burma to the Council's formal agenda, but the UK, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will continue to co-ordinate closely with the UN and partners in the Security Council and the region in considering how best to maintain pressure for positive change in Burma.

Child Labour

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the extent of the use of child labour in  (a) Tunisia,  (b) Cameroon and  (c) Tanzania.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not carried out assessments in these countries but helps to support the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the leading international body which sets and monitors labour standards including child labour. In their global report on child labour published in May this year, the ILO reported an 11 per cent. fall in child labour globally since 2000. However, progress has been slowest in sub-Saharan Africa where 26 per cent. of children are economically active.
	In its national strategy for growth and poverty reduction, the Government of Tanzania identifies child labour as a key challenge. DFID is providing over £110 million this year to support implementation of the overall national strategy. In addition, DFID is supporting multilateral organisations such as the ILO and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) as well as civil society organisations to reduce and prevent child labour in Tanzania.
	DFID does not have a programme in Tunisia and only a limited programme in Cameroon, which is focused on forestry.

Hospices

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take to help improve access to hospice and palliative care in resource-poor countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK is committed to the development of health services that respond to the broad health needs of the population, and palliative care clearly has a vital place in this. DFID support is largely directed at countries where the health spend is less than $10 per person per year and often far less. The public spend in the Congo is $2, in Ethiopia $1.50 and in Burundi $0.70. Clearly these countries are not able to deliver the range of services that they would wish and realistically are unlikely to invest significant public budgets in palliative care. We support countries to deliver their health programmes and the priority interventions defined in their national health plan. Increasingly we provide resources through various forms of flexible budget support.
	DFID officials have met staff from the hospice community on a number of occasions, most recently during a public consultation on a revised DFID health strategy. Many committed groups lobby DFID to make greater efforts on what they see as neglected areas in the international health response. Recent communications have challenged DFID to do more on palliative care, cancer services, neglected tropical diseases, blindness, disability, malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. DFID accepts that palliative care services need to be better reflected in national health plans and budgets and that realistically support needs to be provided through home-based rather than institutional settings.

Iraq

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to provide emergency medical supplies for children in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Iraqi health care system faces enormous challenges which long pre-date the 2003 conflict. In the early 1980s, Iraq enjoyed some of the best health care in the Middle East. However, by 2000, international health indicators for Iraq were comparable with some of the poorest countries in Africa. Under-five mortality had increased from 50 per 1,000 in 1990 to 133 in 2001. One in four children under five were chronically malnourished. Hospitals, clinics and water and sanitation plants suffered from chronic lack of maintenance.
	DFID has given most of its assistance to the Iraqi health sector through financial contributions to international organisations that have particular expertise in health. These contributions include:
	£5 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has helped to fund the delivery of emergency medical supplies, supported clinics and hospitals in Baghdad and Basra, and supports the Iraqi Government's Health Sector Working Group. More information can be found at http://www.who.int/en.
	£32 million to the International Red Cross for immediate humanitarian assistance
	£70 million to the United Nations and World Bank multi-donor trust funds for Iraq. These trust funds finance reconstruction in a number of areas including health. The UN trust fund has approved 10 health and nutrition projects, in total valued at $96 million. The World Bank trust fund also has a $25 million health rehabilitation project which finances priority emergency services, including basic medical equipment and essential drugs. More information on both trust funds can be found at http://www.irffi.org
	However, many challenges still remain and DFID and the international community will continue to work with the Iraqi authorities to help them to rebuild the health sector.
	Important progress has been made: health care spending across Iraq is up more than 30 times on pre-war levels; 5 million children have been vaccinated, and diseases such as polio, measles and malaria have declined; 240 hospitals and 1,200 primary health centres are functioning; and 20 hospitals are being rehabilitated and a paediatric hospital is being built in Basra.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the total cost of allowing close relatives to become registered under the childcare approval scheme so that working parents would then be entitled to  (a) working tax credit and  (b) employer assisted childcare; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Children with Difficulties

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in  (a) West Sussex and  (b) Mid Sussex are classified as having emotional, social or behavioural difficulties.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary and all special schools( 1,2) : number and percentage of pupils at School Action Plus or with statements of SEN who are classified as having emotional, behavioural and social difficulties( 3,4,5) . January 2006: West Sussex local authority and Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency 
			   West Sussex local authority  Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency 
			   Number  Percentage( 6)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			 Maintained primary 775 16.8 99 20.1 
			 Maintained secondary 1,241 32.1 109 22.4 
			 All special schools 219 14.8 44 15.8 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital school.  (3) Pupils at School Action Plus and those pupils with a statement of SEN provided information on their primary need and, if appropriate, their secondary need. Information on primary need only is given here. Data are not collected on pupils at School Action.  (4) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (5) There are a number of sensitivities about categorising pupils by their type of need. It is important that anyone using the data should be aware of the concerns and also understand the limitations of the data's reliability and validity. There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded: (i) definitions of each type of need are necessarily limited in scope and some are more difficult to establish; (ii) many children have a number of needs and it is sometimes difficult to decide which is the major need; (iii) professionals from education and health fields may classify some children differently and there is some evidence that parental background may sometimes affect diagnosis; (iv) the levels of identification of SEN and the levels of School Action, School Action Plus and statementing within SEN are very varied between local authorities—this is likely to affect some types of need more than others; (v) in some authorities funding policies may effect SEN identification.  (6) Number of pupils with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils at School Action Plus or with a statement of SEN.   Source:  Schools Census

Departmental Chief Accounting Officer

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of his Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: The chief accounting officer of the Department for Education and Skills is the Permanent Secretary, David Bell.
	Mr. Bell has a Master of Arts and a Master of Education (Glasgow), and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (Jordanhill College of Education).
	He began his career in teaching where he became a primary head teacher in Essex. He has also held the posts of Director of Education at Newcastle city council and chief executive of Bedfordshire county council, before being appointed Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools by Her Majesty in Privy Council. He became chief inspector in 2002. David took up his current post on 1 January 2006.
	The role of accounting officer is one that the Permanent Secretary combines with his personal responsibility for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the Department and for Department-wide procedures in financial and other matters.
	The accounting officer is assisted in the discharge of these duties by suitably qualified and experienced senior managers, such as the Director General of Finance.

Departmental Staff/Teacher Numbers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage change in  (a) his Department's staff and  (b) the number of teachers was in each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  (a) Departmental staff 
			  Year( 1)  FTE staff numbers  Percentage change 
			 1997 4,480 — 
			 1998 4,500 +0.4 
			 1999 4,560 +1.3 
			 2000 4,970 +9 
			 2001 5,430 +9.3 
			 2002 4,820 -11.2 
			 2003 5,020 +4.1 
			 2004 5,130 +2.2 
			 2005 4,550 -11.3 
			 2006(2) 4,166 -8.4 
			 (1) The numbers recorded are from April in each year. (2) At 1 July 2006 
		
	
	The information for 1997 to 2001 relates to the former Department for Education and Employment.
	
		
			  (b) Teachers 
			  Year( 1)  FTE teacher numbers (thousand)  Percentage change 
			 1997 399.2 — 
			 1998 397.7 -0.4 
			 1999 401.2 +0.9 
			 2000 404.6 +0.9 
			 2001 410.2 +1.4 
			 2002 419.6 +2.3 
			 2003 423.6 +0.9 
			 2004 427.7 +1.0 
			 2005 431.9 +1.0 
			 2006 (provisional) 435.4 +0.8 
			 (1) The numbers recorded are from January in each year.

Early-years Provision

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) nursery,  (b) playgroup and  (c) day-care providers charged a fee in 2005-06 to make up the difference between the money received from Government to fund provision for three and four-year-olds and the cost of provision.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The entitlement should be made available free at the point of delivery. It is not acceptable for parents to have to pay a fee or for there to be any conditions attached to the free entitlement. This would restrict the choice of provider for some families and, in some cases, deny children access to the free entitlement. Charges for care beyond the hours of the free entitlement are a private matter between the provider and parent.
	From April 2006, funding for the free nursery education entitlement to local authorities has been provided through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Local authorities have discretion over the rate at which they fund settings for delivery of early years provision.
	The code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three and four-year-olds says that local authorities should fund provision delivered in different sectors on a fair and equitable basis, taking into account local needs and circumstances.

Early-years Provision

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are  (a) taking up and  (b) eligible for the free (i) nursery, (ii) playgroup and (iii) day-care provision for three and four-year-olds in 2006-07.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not collected in the form requested.
	Since April 2004 all three and four-year-olds have been entitled to a free, good quality, part-time early education place. The free entitlement consists of a minimum of 12.5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year and will be extended to 15 hours a week by 2010. By that time, parents who wish to do so will also be able to access the free entitlement flexibly across a minimum of three days.
	Some local authorities may additionally offer subsidised childcare places but information on this is not collected centrally.
	The available information on the number of three and four-year-olds taking up free early education places is shown in table 1.
	Provisional figures for January 2006 show that all four-year-old children receive some form of free entitlement. The figure for three-year-olds is 96 per cent. This covers all maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers and represents 538,800 three- year-olds and 558,200 four-year-olds.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 17/2006 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (provisional)" in April, which is available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	Final figures for January 2006 will be published in Statistical First Release "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (final)" at 9:30 am on 31 August 2006, which will also be made available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of three and four-year-olds taking up nursery education places( 1, 2, 3)  by type of early education provider, England 2002-06( 4) ,( ) position in January each year 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 provisional 
			  Private and voluntary providers( 5)  
			 Number 379,800 428,600 (6) 445,300 (6) 432,800 (6) 431,000 (6) 
			 Percentage of population(7) 32 37 39 39 38 
			 Number taking up free places 274,000(8) 365,100(6, 8) 388,600(8) 396,700(6, 8) 397,100(9, 10) 
			 Percentage of population(7) 23 31 34 35 35 
			   
			  Independent schools( 11)  
			 Number 56,800 55,800 54,700 52,000 48,100 
			 Percentage of population(7) 5 5 5 5 4 
			 Number taking up free places 31,900 (8) 40,500 (6, 8) 38,400( 8) 39,200 (6, 8) 38,300 (9, 10) 
			 Percentage of population(7) 3 3 3 3 3 
			   
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools:  
			 Number 701,200 690,900 676,500 663,800 658,000 
			 Percentage of population(7) 59 59 59 59 59 
			   
			  Nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools  
			 Number 341,400 331,300 320,200 312,300 312,800 
			 Percentage of population(7) 29 28 28 28 28 
			   
			  Infant classes in primary schools( 12)  
			 Number 359,900 359,500 356,300 351,500 345,200 
			 Percentage of population(7) 30 31 31 31 31 
			   
			  Special schools ( 13, 14)  
			 Number 4,800 4,400 4,100 3,700 3,600 
			 Percentage of population(7) — — — — — 
			   
			  All providers( 15)  
			 Number 1,142,700 1,179,700 (6) 1,180,500 (6) 1,152,400 (6) 1,140,800 
			 Percentage of population(7) 96 101 103 103 102 
			 Number taking up free places 1,012,000 1,100,900(6, 8) 1,107,500(8) 1,103,400 (6, 8) 1,097,000 (9, 10) 
			 Percentage of population(7) 85 94 97 98 98 
			 — = less than 0.5 per cent.  (1 )Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest hundred.  (2) Numbers of three and four-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds.  (3) Any child attending more than one provider may have been counted twice.  (4 )Provisional  (5) Includes some Local Authority providers (other than schools) registered to receive Nursery Education Grants; excludes independent schools and providers not registered to receive nursery education grants.  (6)Scaled up from the data as returned by providers to all providers of early years education.  (7) Numbers of three and four-year-olds taking up places expressed as a percentage of the three and four-year-old population.  (8) Providers returned the number of places for three and four-year-olds for which they had received or expected to receive funding.  (9) Local Authorities returned the number of funded three and four-year-olds for which they expected to receive funding.  (10 )Scaled up from the data as returned by Local Authorities to all providers of early years education.  (11) Includes direct grant nursery schools.  (12) Includes reception and other classes not designated as nursery classes.  (13 )Includes general hospital schools.  (14) Excludes pupils who are also registered elsewhere.  (15 )Rounding of components may cause discrepancies in totals.

Early-years Provision

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the total budget is in 2006-07 for the free  (a) nursery,  (b) playgroup and  (c) day-care provision for three and four-year-olds;
	(2)  what average funding his Department provided per head to local authorities for free  (a) nursery,  (b) playgroup and  (c) day-care provision for three and four-year-olds in 2005-06.

Beverley Hughes: For 2005-06, funding for children under five within the total of Schools Formula Spending Shares (FSS) was £2,886 million and the average unit of funding was £3,220 across all settings. From 2006-07, Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) replaced Schools FSS: £82 million was added to the total of DSG for 2006-07 to fund the expansion of the early years entitlement from 33 weeks to 38 weeks per year. Funding for under fives is not identified separately within DSG, and there is a single guaranteed unit of funding for each authority, the average of which is £3,640.

Extended Hours

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have indicated they intend to operate extended hours from the start of the 2006 autumn term in (i) each London borough and (ii) each region of England;
	(2)  how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each London borough operate extended hours;
	(3)  how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools operate extended hours in each region of England;
	(4)  what guidance he has issued to schools on the charges they can make to pupils for attending extended school hours.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 18 July 2006
	We have a target for 2,500 schools to be providing a core offer of extended services by September 2006. This includes access to a varied menu of activities, parenting support, childcare 8am to 6pm, swift and easy referral to specialist services and wider community access. Currently, we have over 9,000 schools engaged with their local authority on the extended schools agenda with a representative split of primary and secondary schools. This is encouraging progress against our September target. We do not currently have data on the total number of schools operating extended hours broken down by borough or region. However, we do have data from a baseline survey of maintained schools published in September 2005. This survey showed that 61 per cent. of secondary schools and 40 per cent. of primary schools offer childcare or activities before school. The survey suggested that more schools offered activities after school hours—a total of 87 per cent. of primary, and 95 per cent. of secondary schools. In future we will be able to draw on data from the school census, which will include information about the extended services that schools are providing.
	This Government have published guidance for schools and local authorities on planning and funding extended schools, including charging for extended opportunities, on 5 June 2006. It is intended to help schools plan and fund their extended opportunities in ways that will best support children, young people and their families; reflect local needs and circumstances; and build on existing provision offered by the voluntary and private sectors.
	The guidance includes advice on what schools may and may not legally charge for. It describes some typical extended activities and how they might be funded. The guidance emphasises the need for schools to ensure free access to extended activities for the most disadvantaged children and young people.

Institutes of Enterprise

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent in each year since 1998 to encourage Institutes of Enterprise; how many new institutes were endowed in each year; how many students attended institutes in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	Science Enterprise Centres (SECs)—sometimes known as Institutes of Enterprise—were created under the Science Enterprise Challenge Programme. The first round, which covered the academic years 1999/2000 and 2000/01, allocated £28,900,000 to fund the creation of 12 SECs across the UK. The second round, for academic years 2001/02, 2002/03, awarded £14,500,000, as continuation funding to six of the existing SECs and to create one further SEC, brining the total number of SECs to 13.
	Student attendance for the four years of the Science Enterprise Challenge Programme is as follows(1):
	
		
			   Number 
			 1999-2000 2,923 
			 2000-01 11,998 
			 2001-02 11,975 
			 2002-03 24,397 
			 (1) One of the SECs reported its student numbers as a percentage of the total student body, rather than as an absolute figure, these percentage figures are not included in the above totals. 
		
	
	After 2003 enterprise education became a devolved matter and, in England, was subsumed into the Higher Education Innovation Fund, under which individual HEIs have the choice where to focus their activities.

Language Learning

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many GCSE pupils in  (a) England and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire studied a foreign language in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many A-level pupils in  (a) England and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire studied a foreign language in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Figures for the number of pupils who were entered for a GCSE foreign language in  (a) England and  (b) East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last nine years are given in the following table.
	
		
			  15-year-old pupils( 1)  entered for a GCSE foreign language( 2) 
			  Number 
			   England  East Riding of Yorkshire 
			 1996/97 434,054 3,471 
			 1997/98 442,130 3,427 
			 1998/99 499,897 3,325 
			 1999/2000 454,574 3,530 
			 2000/01 468,487 3,588 
			 2001/02 456,805 3,547 
			 2002/03 449,376 3,551 
			 2003/04 430,397 3,429 
			 2004/05 365,320 2,854 
		
	
	Figures for the number and percentage of pupils who achieved grade A*-C in a GCSE foreign language are given in the following table.
	
		
			  15-year-old pupils( 1 ) achieving grade A*-C in a GCSE foreign language( 2) 
			   England  East Riding of Yorkshire 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1996/97 201,266 46 1,420 41 
			 1997/98 204,683 46 1,559 45 
			 1998/99 219,314 44 1,504 45 
			 1999/2000 220,544 49 1,661 47 
			 2000/01 231,884 49 1,700 47 
			 2001/02 228,372 50 1,621 46 
			 2002/03 214,336 48 1,342 38 
			 2003/04 218,039 51 1,359 40 
			 2004/05 210,895 58 1,653 58 
		
	
	Figures for the number and percentage of pupils who achieved grade A*-G in a GCSE foreign language are given in the following table.
	
		
			  15-year-old pupils( 1 ) achieving grade A*-G in a GCSE foreign language( 2) 
			   England  East Riding of Yorkshire 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1996/97 418,977 97 3,337 96 
			 1997/98 434,701 98 3,379 99 
			 1998/99 445,061 89 3,288 99 
			 1999/2000 447,319 98 3,478 99 
			 2000/01 460,725 98 3,554 99 
			 2001/02 449,451 98 3,497 99 
			 2002/03 439,066 98 3,502 99 
			 2003/04 421,496 98 3,379 99 
			 2004/05 360,528 99 2,828 99 
			 (1) Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August.  (2) Maintained institutions only. 
		
	
	2004/05 GCSE examinations saw the first pupils for whom modern foreign languages were not compulsory.
	Figures for the number of pupils who were entered for an A-level foreign language in  (a) England and  (b) East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last nine years are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Pupils entered for an A-level foreign language 
			  Number 
			   England( 1)  East Riding of Yorkshire( 2) 
			 1996/97 41,750 181 
			 1997/98 36,568 155 
			 1998/99 34,484 145 
			 1999/2000 30,997 142 
			 2000/01 30,905 123 
			 2001/02 28,252 116 
			 2002/03 27,475 91 
			 2003/04 27,052 85 
			 2004/05 26,665 98 
		
	
	Figures for the number of pupils who achieved an A-E grade in at least one A-level foreign language are given as follows, and are given as a proportion of all candidates entered for an A-level foreign language.
	
		
			 Pupils entered for an A-level foreign language 
			   England( 1)  East Riding of Yorkshire( 2) 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 1996/97 37,200 89 151 83 
			 1997/98 33,606 92 131 85 
			 1998/99 31,883 92 118 81 
			 1999/2000 28,763 93 120 85 
			 2000/01 28,673 93 103 84 
			 2001/02 27,439 97 113 97 
			 2002/03 26,848 98 87 96 
			 2003/04 26,540 98 81 95 
			 2004/05 26,222 98 98 100 
			 (1) All schools.  (2) Maintained institutions only.

School Sports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking  (a) to increase participation in sporting activities at schools and  (b) to widen the number of sporting activities that are available to pupils while at school.

Jim Knight: The Government are investing over £1.5 billion (including lottery funding) in the five years to 2008 to implement the national school sport strategy. The Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport share a public service agreement target to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality physical education and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition—by 2010—is to offer all children four hours of sport. Spearheading action is the creation of a national network of sports colleges and school sport partnerships.
	Good progress is being made. Currently 80 per cent. of schools in England are within a school sport partnership and all schools will be by September 2006. The 2004/05 school sport survey found that 69 per cent. of pupils in schools within a partnership were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality physical education and sport, an 11 per cent. increase on 2003/04. The survey also found that partnership schools offer on average almost 15 different sports. Copies of the 2003/04 and 2004/05 survey reports have been placed in the House Library.

Slave Trade

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on including teaching on the slave trade as part of the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Members of the Deputy Prime Minister's Advisory Group on the 2007 Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade have raised this issue on a number of occasions. I am also aware that there have been a large number of letters on the issue addressed to the lead officers at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority who are responsible for developing the national curriculum. Although we are reducing the amount of detailed prescription in the national curriculum, I am keen to see what can be done to ensure that this important part of our nation's history is properly understood. The £910,000 of funding that my Department is providing for the understanding slavery initiative (www.understandingslavery.com), in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is an important part of this.

Special Schools

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice his Department provides to local education authorities on the role of special schools in the teaching of students with  (a) special educational needs and  (b) behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 17 July 2006
	Our SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement" makes clear that we see a vital and continuing role for special schools. The Government believe that special schools have an important role to play within the overall spectrum of provision for children with special educational needs—educating some children directly and sharing their expertise with mainstream schools. We are promoting the participation of special schools in the Department's diversity programmes, including the Specialist Schools Programme, to make the most of the skills and expertise in the special sector, by promoting collaboration, outreach, training and other activities.
	Special schools are specially organised to make provision for pupils with special educational needs, so all special schools will teach pupils with special educational needs. There is a wide spectrum of special educational needs that are frequently inter-related. Needs fall broadly into four areas: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; behaviour, emotional and social development; and sensory and/or physical.
	The Department through its National Primary and Secondary Strategies provides materials designed to raise standards in teaching and learning for both special and mainstream schools.

Special Schools

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the work of special schools; and what role he plans for such schools in the provision of education for children with special needs.

Parmjit Dhanda: In 2003 we published the 'The Report of the Special Schools Working Group' which mapped out a future programme for the special schools sector. The report proposed that special schools should increasingly cater for the population of children with severe and complex needs; that they should be outward-looking centres of expertise and work more collaboratively with mainstream schools.
	Our SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement" made it clear that we see a vital and continuing role for special schools. Special schools have an important role to play within the overall spectrum of provision for children with special educational needs educating some children directly and sharing their expertise with mainstream schools. We are promoting the participation of special schools in the Department's diversity programmes, including the Specialist Schools Programme, to make the most of the skills and expertise in the special sector, by promoting collaboration, outreach, training and other activities.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

Parmjit Dhanda: Statutory instruments produced by the Department for Education and Skills were reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for defective drafting on six occasions during the period in question.

Sure Start

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have participated in Sure Start in Leicester South constituency since its introduction.

Beverley Hughes: Three Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) covering 1,640 children under four and their families were set up in the Leicester South constituency between 2000 and 2003. All SSLPs are becoming Sure Start children's centres and will offer services to children under five years of age and their families. There are three Sure Start children's centres up and running in the Leicester South constituency covering 2,050(1) children under five and their families. Two of these centres build on existing SSLPs.
	(1) 2,050 children include 771 children previously served by the two SSLPs that have become children's centres.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland; which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations were involved in drawing up the draft guidance; what the timetable is for the consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The aim is to publish guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland early next year. In developing the guidance the Department has taken on board the views of representatives from a wide range of professional and specialty backgrounds including nursing and midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecology, public health, psychiatry, clinical genetics, family planning doctors and general practitioners. It is proposed to issue draft guidance to interested parties for consultation in September.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the members of the working party on guidance on abortion in Northern Ireland are; what relevant specialist qualifications each holds; what the career of each has been to date; what criteria were used in selecting them; how many and what percentage are on the public record as  (a) supporting and  (b) opposing abortion; when the working party has met; what the (i) location and (ii) duration of each meeting was; whether a record of each meeting was kept; who attended each meeting; if he will list public meetings organised by the working party; who addressed each meeting; at what cost; who attended each public meeting; whether a record of each public meeting was kept; what the cost was of each public meeting, broken down by (A) administrative costs, (B) costs of refreshments and (C) other costs; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Members of the working party were not asked about their personal views on abortion as the intention was that the working party should comprise individuals from a wide range of professional and specialty backgrounds including nursing and midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecology, public health, psychiatry, clinical genetics, family planning doctors and general practitioners.
	The working party has met twice. The first time was 4 May 2005 at The Mount in Belfast and the second time was on 19 December 2005 at Castle Buildings, Stormont. The meeting on 4 May was exploratory in nature, and to enable a free and frank exchange of views no formal record was taken. Minutes of the meeting on 19 December at Castle Buildings will be placed in the Library. This document includes details of members of the working party.
	No public meetings have been held by the working party.

Adoption

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the decision to allow civil partnership couples the right to adopt children in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: No one has the "right" to adopt and the proposed new legislation will continue to uphold this principle. However, the law must establish basic criteria which a person must satisfy in order to be eligible to apply to adopt. Under Northern Ireland's existing adoption legislation, the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987, a single person of either sex, irrespective of their sexual orientation, may apply to adopt a child. Only married couples may apply to adopt a child jointly. Civil partners, however, are unable to adopt either jointly or singly.
	On 4 July I launched a public consultation "Adopting the Future", which outlines a proposed strategy for adoption services in Northern Ireland. One of the proposals designed to increase the opportunities for children to be adopted is that civil partners and unmarried couples (whether of different sexes or the same sex) living as partners in an enduring family relationship should be eligible to adopt jointly.
	As is currently the case, where persons are eligible to adopt, they will be required to undergo a rigorous assessment of their suitability before any placement or adoption can take place. Every child deserves a safe and happy childhood. Where this is not possible within their own family or extended family, it is essential that every effort is made to secure permanence for the child as early as possible. If a couple in an enduring partnership can demonstrate that they can provide a child with a secure and happy home, where that child can thrive and be cared for into adulthood and beyond, the law should at least allow the couple to be assessed.
	I am aware that this is a sensitive issue and would reiterate that these proposals are part of a consultation process. Everyone who has a contribution to make is welcome to do so and all views will be taken into consideration.

Adoption

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what precautions will be put in place by social services when children are placed for adoption in civil partnership settings.

Paul Goggins: In order to be approved as adoptive parents, any prospective adopter or couple is required to undergo a stringent assessment process carried out by an adoption agency over a period of several months. The assessment includes:
	Checks on medical history and police checks
	Current conditions in the applicant's lives
	Relationship stability
	Motives for adoption
	Knowledge and experience of children
	Capacity for the parenting role
	Expectations concerning the child
	Identity and culture
	Relations and other social networks
	Personality and interests
	Religion and attitude to life
	Openness to individual difference
	Proper assessment is the key to ensuring that only suitable people are ultimately able to adopt. There is a range of qualities a single person or a couple need to demonstrate before they can be approved as adoptive parents.
	Where an adoption agency has decided that adoption of a child by a particular person or couple would be in that child's best interests, social services are required to monitor the placement and ongoing support is available until an adoption order is made. Ultimately, the court will decide whether or not to make the adoption order.

Arson

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many arson attacks have been recorded on  (a) homes,  (b) commercial premises and  (c) industrial premises in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the following table:
	
		
			   Dwelling premises( 1)  Commercial premises( 2)  Industrial premises( 3) 
			 2003-04 637 173 45 
			 2004-05 538 167 34 
			 2005-06 686 212 46 
			 (1) Dwelling includes houses (occupied and unoccupied) and caravans used as dwellings.  (2) Commercial premises include buildings such as shops, banks, licensed premises, restaurants, and petrol stations.  (3) Industrial premises include buildings such as factories, warehouses, and haulage depots.

Incapacity Benefit Recipients

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Department of Social Development has taken to assist those receiving incapacity benefits to get back into work in rural areas in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) helps employers fill vacancies and assists jobseekers to find employment through a network of 35 Jobs and Benefits offices (JBOs) and JobCentres located in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
	Within the JBOs, personal advisers carry out 'work-focused interviews' to help those on working age benefits, including incapacity benefit (IB), identify any barriers to work and encourage them to address these, assess 'job-readiness' and assist clients into work or training programmes or towards other support which will improve their options and capability for work. The process has recently been improved through the introduction of action plans for people who are ill, have a disability or are lone parents.
	The Department has been piloting the Pathways to Work initiative in three areas (Ballymoney, Lurgan and Magherafelt) since 3 October 2005 and in Newtownabbey, Enniskillen and Newry since April 2006. The initiative builds on existing provision and offers early, sustained support from specially trained personal advisers with the aim of helping IB recipients consider a return to work. The support package includes innovative health rehabilitation programmes with a work focus, to help clients understand and manage their health condition. New financial incentives include a £40 a week return to work credit to help "make work pay" for those moving into a job paying less than £15,000 per annum.
	The pilot will be expanded to a further four offices by the end of 2006, covering 30 per cent. of clients making a fresh claim to incapacity benefit. The choice of pilot locations has taken account of the rural/urban mix and the potential impacts on the client group in rural areas. It is recognised that the costs of attending mandatory interviews are likely to be greater for those living in rural areas so travel costs are paid and interviews are arranged at a time to suit the client.

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is taking  (a) to inform users of beta blockers of the proposed gradual withdrawal of this drug without causing distress or anxiety and  (b) to ensure that general practitioners withdraw beta blockers gradually from patients with high blood pressure.

Paul Goggins: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently produced clinical guidelines on the management of high blood pressure in adults; this includes new guidance relating to the use of beta-adrenoceptor blockers. Beta blockers are also used for a number of other clinical conditions. Beta blockers are not being withdrawn and remain a licensed medicine for use in Northern Ireland.
	I recently announced the establishment of a formal link between NICE and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, and will shortly confirm the arrangements for determination of the applicability of NICE guidelines to the HPSS in Northern Ireland. The Department will give specific consideration to the communication of information contained in this particular guidance

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people prescribed beta blockers in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months have ailments other than high blood pressure.

Paul Goggins: Information is only available on the total number of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drug items dispensed in primary care in the past 12 months. Information is not available on the actual number of individuals that this relates to or the ailment for which the drug has been dispensed.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs dispensed 
			 2005 907,553 
			 Source:  Prescription cost analysis, Central Services Agency

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients prescribed beta blockers for high blood pressure in Northern Ireland are over the age of 55; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available for the clinical condition of high blood pressure or for the age group requested but only on the total number of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drug items dispensed in primary care in the past 12 months.
	
		
			   Number of blocking beta-adrenoceptor drugs dispensed 
			 2005 907,553 
			  Source:  Prescription Cost Analysis, Central Services Agency

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were prescribed beta blockers for high blood pressure in the last 12 months, broken down by board area.

Paul Goggins: Information is only available on the total number of beta-adrenoceptor drug items dispensed in primary care in the past 12 months. This information is not readily available by health board area, nor is information available on the actual number of individuals that this relates to.
	
		
			   Number of beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs dispensed 
			 2005 907,553 
			  Source:  Prescription Cost Analysis, Central Services Agency.

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost has been of beta blockers in the Northern Ireland health budget in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total ingredient cost for beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs 
			  (£) 
			 2003 6,451,614 
			 2004 6,879,635 
			 2005 6,806,766 
			  Notes: 1. Total ingredient cost refers to gross cost before discount, except for drugs listed in the Northern Ireland drug tariff that have already had discount applied. 2. The costs provided only cover drugs dispensed in primary care. Costs of drugs prescribed and dispensed in hospital cannot be captured central due to the use of different hospital IT systems.  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis, Central Services Agency.

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the potential effects on costs arising from the transfer of patients from using beta blockers to other drugs available for high blood pressure; and how long the transfer will take to implement.

Paul Goggins: Information is not available for the clinical condition of blood pressure. It is anticipated that pharmacological costs may rise due to the transfer of patients from beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs to ACE inhibitors. Cost impact assessments made by NICE indicate however that full implementation of the NICE guideline achieved over a number of years might produce some savings as a result of reduced numbers of strokes and ischaemic heart disease. No estimate has been made of possible corresponding savings that might occur in Northern Ireland.
	The timescale for implementation of this change is dependent upon the needs of individual patients. It is particularly important that patients do not stop using their medication without seeking professional advice.

Beta Blockers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have experienced  (a) side effects and  (b) life-threatening side effects as a direct result of being prescribed beta blockers for high blood pressure in each of the last five years, broken down by board area.

Paul Goggins: As beta-adrenoceptor drugs can be prescribed for a number of conditions it is not possible to tell from existing information if a person was prescribed beta blockers for high blood pressure. As with other medicines, there are a number of known side effects with beta blockers. All serious adverse drug reactions suspected to be related to any medicine, or combination of medicines, should be reported directly to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
	The Department has no data on admission to hospital as a direct result of side effects/life threatening side effects as a result of the providing of beta blockers for high blood pressure.

Brothels

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many brothels he estimates there are in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) each police district command unit.

Paul Goggins: The Police Service of Northern Ireland has advised that it would be inappropriate to disclose the number of brothels they believe to be active as this could compromise ongoing operations aimed at disrupting such activities and bringing about successful prosecutions.
	The PSNI continues to gather intelligence and information about such activities across Northern Ireland.
	In September 2005 South Belfast DCU set up a drugs and vice team after analysis indicated problems related to sex crimes. In that DCU the PSNI have successfully closed down 20 brothels and charged 12 persons in connection with offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Dangerous Dogs

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there has been a review of the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 since the legislation was implemented; and whether there are plans to review  (a) the legislation and  (b) enforcement of it.

David Cairns: The Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 has not been formally reviewed. However, on 19 May 2006 the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development wrote to all district councils seeking their views on the operation of the legislation with particular emphasis on any difficulties preventing effective enforcement.
	The Department is currently considering the responses from councils and will meet in the near future with council representatives and other interested organisations to discuss the issues raised.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1009W, on departmental expenditure, what accounted for the increases in expenditure by  (a) employment and learning,  (b) health, social services and public safety and  (c) the Northern Ireland Office on advertising between 2003-04 and 2004-05; and if he will take steps to reduce the amount spent on advertising.

David Hanson: Further to my answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1009W, I have informed the hon. Member in writing that figures provided for four Departments in 2004-05 were incorrect. This answer is based on the corrected figures given on 4 July 2006.
	The increase in expenditure by  (a) employment and learning is accounted for by the Essential Skills Campaign to address the problems of literacy and numeracy. The corrected figures show that spending by  (b) health, social services and public safety decreased during the period. The increase in expenditure by  (c) the Northern Ireland Office was due to the recruitment advertising of NIO posts locally and nationally. The corrected figures also show that expenditure by environment increased during the period. This is due to additional funding for newly launched road safety campaigns in respect of motorbikes, speeding and drugs and to increase airtime for the anti-drink driving campaign at certain times of the year such as Christmas and bank holidays.
	Steps have already been taken to reduce the amount spent on advertising. A fundamental review of how Government procure and manage advertising has been completed. The review report, published in April 2006 and available in the House of Commons Library, sets out a series of recommendations which will contribute to an overall reduction in the amount spent on advertising and an increase in effectiveness.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women over the age of 55 years are undergoing IVF treatment on the NHS in Northern Ireland; and if he will estimate the average cost of each programme of treatment.

Paul Goggins: There are no women over the age of 55 years undergoing IVF treatment on the NHS in Northern Ireland. In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is only available to couples where the female partner has not passed her 38(th) birthday.
	The Royal Group of Hospitals estimate the current cost for a cycle of IVF treatment to be £2,875. This includes the cost of outpatient attendances, drugs, scans and consultant time.

Festivals

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which 10 community festivals in Northern Ireland received the most public funding in each of the last two years.

Maria Eagle: The 10 community festivals which received the most public funding in each of the last two years are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  Festival  Funding provided (£) 
			 Feile an Phobail 360,037.95 
			 Maiden City Festival 82,700.63 
			 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoil 75,080 
			 Greater New Lodge 43,110 
			 Tommy Makem International Festival of Song 23,000 
			 Belleek and Fiddlestone Arts and Cultural Festival 15,783.19 
			 William Kennedy Piping Festival 15,000 
			 The Hills above Drumquin Townlands Festival 14,914.81 
			 Armagh City and district council Mall Events Project 14,900 
			 Living History Festival 13,097.40 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  Festival  Funding provided (£) 
			 Feile an Phobail 273,768.01 
			 North West Rural Development Maritime Festival 2006 101,681 
			 Maiden City Festival 84,150 
			 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoil 66,405 
			 Greater New Lodge 36,660 
			 Panarts (Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival) 18,500 
			 Armagh Festival of International Folk and Song 17,500 
			 William Kennedy Piping Festival 15,000 
			 Country Comes to Town 12,000 
			 The Irish Country Lifestyle Festival 11,113.17 
			  Notes: For the purpose of this answer, a community festival is defined as follows: "a concentrated and orchestrated series of events with a common theme and within a defined period" This definition is taken from the 'Community Festivals Fund Policy and Guidance Framework' launched in February 2006. The answer does not include information on funding allocated to speciality arts and sports festivals.

Fuel Poverty

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in Northern Ireland are estimated to be living in fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The 2004 Interim House Condition Survey collected fuel poverty information on a household and not an individual basis and has indicated that the number of households in fuel poverty in rural areas of Northern Ireland is 61,470 and the number in non-rural areas is 92,060.
	The Department for Social Development, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and all the public, voluntary and community organisations concerned with fuel poverty will continue to bring forward and promote a range of measures to address this important issue, particularly in vulnerable households.

Housing

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of  (a) house prices and  (b) trends in social housing stock in Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking to assist first-time buyers in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Department for Social Development publishes information on houses prices and trends in social housing in its Northern Ireland Housing Statistics report. The following tables from the 2004-05 report set out the relevant information:
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated median house price and percentage increase by purchasing group, October to December 2003 to October to December 2005( 1) 
			  Purchasing group  Period October to December  Estimated median house price (£)  Percentage increase 
			 First Time Buyers 2003 66,666.67 38.1 
			  2005 92,076.40  
			 
			 Home Movers 2003 94,366.20 37.9 
			  2005 130,136.99  
			 (1) Estimate derived from data provided to DSD, Statistics and Research Branch by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Trends in social housing stock 2002-05 
			  Thousand 
			   NIHE stock  Housing Associations stock  Total stock 
			 2002 113.4 19.7 133.1 
			 2003 105.8 20.5 126.3 
			 2004 94.6 21.0 115.6 
			 2005 96.6 (1)21.3 (1)117.9 
			 (1) The figure for 2005 is currently provisional. 
		
	
	The Northern Ireland Housing Executive also annually publishes a report on the Northern Ireland Housing Market—"Review and Perspectives". The report covering the period 2006-09, which provides a range of housing statistics and analysis, was published in February 2006. A copy is available on its website at www.nihe.gov.uk and can be found under the Publications/Reports/ Housing Market Reviews. I will arrange to have a copy placed in the Library.
	The review indicates that since 1979 the Housing Executive has sold more than 110,000 dwellings to sitting tenants accounting for almost a quarter (24 per cent.) of the owner-occupied sector and 16 per cent. of the housing market as a whole. The 2001 House Condition Survey provided the first reliable estimate of what proportion of these had been resold on the open market. In March 2001, some 94,000 dwellings had been sold and approximately 18,000 (19 per cent.) of these had been resold on the open market: two thirds to new owner-occupiers and the remaining one third to private landlords, reflecting the fact that they generally provide a good source of high-quality affordable homes, particularly for first-time buyers and landlords who see them as a sound investment. Between 2000 and 2004 the annual house sales figure remained at over 5,000 but in 2004-05 the number of dwellings sold fell by 24 per cent. to 3,135. The reduction reflected the introduction of major revisions to the House Sales Scheme and it is envisaged that house sales will remain at between 2,500 and 3,000 over the next three year period. Annual research carried out by the University of Ulster in relation to sold Housing Executive dwellings confirms that they continue to perform well on the open market.
	The co-ownership shared equity scheme remains the Department's main measure for providing assistance to first time buyers experiencing affordability problems. The scheme has been very successful assisting over 19,000 households since 1978. In recognition of this success, Government increased their funding by £23 million over the 3-year period to 2008 to provide almost £39 million and this will help support around 2,400 applicants over this period. A series of changes to the scheme have also just been introduced to make it more accessible for people on lower incomes: the basis of calculation of the co-ownership rental charge will reduce from 3.5 per cent. to 2.75 per cent. As a result a typical co-ownership home buyer with a £100,000 property on a 50:50 basis will see their monthly rental reduce from £160 to £126. The professional fees associated with buying a home through co-ownership are also being reduced from £400 to £250.
	Given the sharp increase in house prices, the value limits that apply to properties eligible for purchase through co-ownership have been reviewed. The limit for the greater Belfast and Derry city council areas has increased from £115,000 to £135,000 and from £102,500 to £115,000 elsewhere.
	The Department has also been examining recent initiatives which were introduced to address affordability in the rest of the UK. The Chancellor, in his last budget, announced an increase in the stamp duty threshold to £125,000, and this will specifically assist first-time buyers.

Illegal Dumping

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in deterring illegal dumping in Northern Ireland, with particular reference to border areas; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) continues to work closely and successfully with other enforcement agencies, including those in the Republic of Ireland. This has resulted in improved communication and intelligence, allowing joint action to tackle serious incidents and serious offenders.
	EHS, through its environmental crime team, has disrupted the activities of those engaged in the illegal waste trade. As a result, large illegal dump sites are being discovered less frequently. Officers are also discovering increasing amounts of shredded material, treated in this way to mask the point of origin.
	On the evidence provided by EHS, the Public Prosecution Service took 47 successful prosecution cases to the end of June 2005, compared with 58 for all of 2005, and 24 in 2004. The 129 successful prosecutions to date have generated fines in excess of £210,000. Around 100 further cases have been scheduled for hearing in the courts.

Jobcentres

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobcentres are operating in  (a) non-rural and  (b) rural areas of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department helps employers fill their vacancies and assists jobseekers to find employment through a network of 35 offices (25 Jobs and Benefits offices, JBOs where a joint work-focused service is provided with the Social Security Agency, and 10 jobcentres) located in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
	There are eight offices serving the city of Belfast, two in Londonderry, and one each in the cities of Armagh, Lisburn and Newry. The remaining 22 offices are located in each of the main rural towns of Northern Ireland.
	In order to deliver the Government's policy on welfare-to-work the Department is working in partnership with the Social Security Agency to provide a joined-up work-focused jobs and benefits service. Some 25 of the planned 35 offices have been rolled out as JBOs. It is expected that rollout of the remaining 10, Andersonstown, Ballymena, Ballynahinch, Bangor, North Belfast, Cookstown, Downpatrick, Newcastle, Newtownards and Strabane, will be complete by March 2008.

MI5 Headquarters

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs have been incurred for the new MI5 headquarters in Northern Ireland; what the projected total cost is; and to which budget the funding has been allocated.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	It has been the established policy of successive Governments not to comment on such matters.

Police

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers are allocated to the Ards area of Strangford.

Paul Goggins: The police strength for Ards DCU is as follows:
	Regular—143.75
	Full-Time Reserve—20
	Part-Time Reserve and Con part-time combined—56

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Peter Hain: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland departments can be found in "Public Bodies", copies of which are in the Library. "Public Bodies" has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of "Public Bodies" contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland departments could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	More detailed information about the chairs and members of Northern Ireland Office public appointments is published each year in the NIO departmental report. Similar information for those sponsored by Northern Ireland's eleven government departments is published in their annual public appointments annual report. Copies of the latest versions of both these reports are available from the Library of the House and can be found on the internet at:
	www.nio.gov.uk/nio_departmental_report_2006.pdf and www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/public-appointments .

Rape Crisis Centre

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure the continued operation of the Rape Crisis Centre in Belfast; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Government are committed to funding high-quality services which provide the best possible support for victims of rape and sexual violence in Northern Ireland.
	The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has previously highlighted to the Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre (NI) Ltd. concerns regarding the failure of the organisation to comply with the terms and conditions of grant funding. These concerns included the keeping of proper records, sound financial accountability and proper corporate governance arrangements.
	The latest financial verification report indicates a continuing failure to address the long-standing issues raised and the Department has now advised the organisation that it is mindful to cease funding and invited any comments it wishes to make on this matter within 14 days.
	The decision to cease funding for any organisation which provides a service to vulnerable people is never taken lightly. However, in view of the continued failure of this organisation to meet Government accounting requirements, the Department has been left with no other option but to cease funding.
	The funding that would have been directed to the Rape Crisis Centre will be allocated to other support services for victims of rape and sexual violence.

Road Maintenance

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many motorists have submitted claim forms for damage done to their vehicles due to pot holes on roads in the last three years; and how many received compensation for damages.

David Cairns: The number of vehicle damage compensation claims related to potholes received by the Department for Regional Development over the last three years and the number for which vehicle compensation was paid are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Pothole claims received  Compensation paid 
			 2003-04 940 586 
			 2004-05 667 429 
			 2005-06 668 364

Sexual Health

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department gave to the Belfast Brook Advisory Centre in each year since its opening; and what the rates of sexually transmitted infections were in Northern Ireland in each year over the same period.

Paul Goggins: Information is only available from 1997. Health and Social Services Boards have provided the following funding to Brook in each year since 1997.
	
		
			   £ 
			 1997-98 52,702 
			 1998-99 52,596 
			 1999-2000 62,786 
			 2000-01 83,356 
			 2001-02 75,112 
			 2002-03 79,347 
			 2003-04 88,961 
			 2004-05 107,469 
			 2005-06 107,831 
		
	
	In addition the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has provided one-off funding to the organisation as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
			 1997-98 nil 
			 1998-99 1,875 
			 1999-2000 10,000 
			 2000-01 6,450 
			 2001-02 9,000 
			 2002-03 4,000 
			 2003-04 nil 
			 2004-05 nil 
			 2005-06 nil 
		
	
	The incidence rates of sexually transmitted infections is not available. However, information is available on the total number of episodes (for selected diagnoses of sexually transmitted infection), seen for care at GUM clinics, in Northern Ireland since 1995. This is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Calendar year  Number of sexually transmitted infections 
			 1995 2,076 
			 1996 (1)— 
			 1997 (1)— 
			 1998 2,650 
			 1999 3,118 
			 2000 3,504 
			 2001 3,494 
			 2002 3,741 
			 2003 3,873 
			 2004 3,930 
			 2005 4,393 
			 (1 )Incomplete data  Notes: Figures represent new treatment episodes of sexually transmitted infections occurring in the specified age groups, and not individual people. An individual may have contributed more than one episode of a particular diagnosis and to more than one diagnosis. Selected diagnoses for 1995 are: Postpubertal uncomplicated Chlamydia; Postpubertal uncomplicated gonorrhoea; Infectious syphilis; Anogenital herpes simplex (first attack) and Anogenital warts (first attack). Selected diagnoses and codes for 1998 and onwards are: Uncomplicated genital Chlamydia; Uncomplicated gonorrhoea; Primary and secondary infectious syphilis; Anogenital herpes simplex (first attack) and Anongenital warts (first attack).   Source:  KC60 return, Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics.

Speed Cameras

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas will be targeted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to test the SPECS3 cameras to apprehend speeding cars; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The cameras are to be trialled on the Kempstones Road between Dundonald and Newtownards. This is for the purposes of scientific testing only.

Stephen Murtagh

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Stephen Murtagh case.

Paul Goggins: My hon. Friend the Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Woodward), met Stephen Murtagh in April and decided that a review of the published papers associated with the circumstances leading to the death of Mr. Murtagh's wife, Janine, would be appropriate. The Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is conducting the review and will report to me in the autumn.

Street Lighting

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Department of Regional Development has plans to remove restrictions on the number of street lights in rural areas.

David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service (Mr Geoff Allister) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	 Letter from Mr Geoff Allister, dated 19 July 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding whether the Department of Regional Development has plans to remove restrictions on the number of street lights in rural areas.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	The main criterion for providing street lighting in rural areas is based on the density of housing although we also take cognisance of night time injury accident statistics which indicate that the provision of lighting would contribute to a reduction in such accidents.
	In June 2006, Roads Service Board agreed an extension to the rural lighting criteria to ensure a consistent approach to the lighting of important junctions on the strategic network. This additional criterion will apply when new junctions are provided, and existing junctions that meet the criterion shall be lit retrospectively over a number of years subject to the availability of funds.
	However, in the course of its considerations, Roads Service has to seek a balance on the demand for additional lighting against the effects of increased urbanisation of the countryside and the environmental impact on wildlife, flora and the night sky.

Students

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attended  (a) further and  (b) higher education colleges in Northern Ireland in 2005; at what total cost to the education budget in that year; and what proportion of this cost was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic.

Maria Eagle: The number of full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attending further education colleges in Northern Ireland in the 2004-05 academic year was 1,010. The cost of this to the further education budget in that year was in the region of £3.5 million. No element of the cost of the further education budget was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic.
	The number of full-time students resident in the Irish Republic attending higher education colleges in Northern Ireland in the 2004-05 academic year was 2,249. The approximate cost of this to the higher education budget in that year was £7.8 million. No element of this cost was paid by the Government of the Irish Republic.

Suicide

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision he has made to assist families affected by suicides within the  (a) East Belfast,  (b) North Down and  (c) Ards/Castlereagh area of Strangford; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Ulster Community and Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust provides a range of mental health intervention and strategies to support the families of suicide victims, including counselling for bereavement in conjunction with specialised agencies such as CRUSE.
	Since February 2004, the Trust has been operating a Crisis Response and Home Treatment Team, which is available 365 days per year to provide an appropriate response to individuals who have attempted self-harm or are suicidal.
	In addition to this service, members of this team assess any patient who presents to the A&E department of the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, suffering from mental health problems. Furthermore, the Trust has recently trained three staff in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and arrangements are presently being made for suicide awareness sessions in local sports and community clubs.
	South and East Belfast Trust offer the primary care route of referral for assessment of mental health and will offer bereavement counselling through Community Psychiatric Nursing and Social Work services. They can also offer to support families in a crisis through involvement with their Crisis Response and Home Treatment Team. South and East Belfast Trust also signpost individuals and families to voluntary organisations such as CRUSE who offer straightforward bereavement counselling.
	Regionally, a Families Forum is to be established. This forum will nominate representatives to sit on the forthcoming Suicide Strategy Implementation Body and will allow those bereaved by suicide to have a major say in the implementation of the Strategy.

Vaccination

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the most recent take-up rate is of MMR vaccine, broken down by council district in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Information on the take-up of MMR vaccine broken down by council district area is not collected centrally. However, the Department collects information from health and social services (HSS) boards on the immunisation status of each board's resident children with regard to several conditions including MMR.
	The latest available information on MMR immunisations by HSS Boards is detailed in the following table, which shows the percentage of children resident in each board's administrative area that completed a primary course of MMR immunisations at any time before their second birthday, which occurred during the year ending 31 March 2005.
	
		
			  Board of Residence  MMR (Percentage) 
			 Eastern 86.2 
			 Northern 89.3 
			 Southern 90.1 
			 Western 88.2 
			 Northern Ireland 88.4

Valuation and Lands Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 21 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1872W, on the Valuation and Lands Agency, when the documentation will be placed in the Library.

David Hanson: These documents were placed in the Library on 28 June 2006.

Wind Turbines (Hospitals)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 216W, on wind turbines (acute hospitals), whether other acute hospitals have expressed an interest in having a wind turbine constructed at their sites in the next 12 months.

Paul Goggins: Causeway Hospital, Coleraine, has expressed an interest in developing a wind turbine installation on the site within the next 12 months.

PRIME MINISTER

G8 Summit

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the issue of the Russian Federation's level of compliance with the Energy Charter Treaty and its transit protocol with President Putin at the forthcoming G8 Summit in St. Petersburg.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement of 18 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 151-54.

Honours

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will ensure that  (a) individuals who use tax havens and  (b) directors whose firms are involved in (i) exploitation of cheap labour at home or overseas, (ii) tax avoidance or price fixing and (iii) health and safety violations are not considered for honours.

Tony Blair: Guidance for nominating potential recipients of honours and the criteria for consideration for awards of honours are available on the Cabinet Office website (www.honours.gov.uk) and in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Behaviour

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with Sir John Bourn on matters concerning the behaviour of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Maldon and Chelmsford East (Mr. Whittingdale) during my evidence to the Liaison Committee on 4 July.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Medical Services

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to review  (a) the contract with Atos Medical Services as part of the Welfare Reform Programme and the Disability Equality Duty scheme and  (b) the training requirements for Atos medical staff.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 12 July 2006
	The contract between the Department and Atos Origin is reviewed on an on-going basis to ensure it delivers services that are fully compliant with all current relevant legislation.
	Each year a programme of continuing medical education is agreed with Atos Origin that identifies training need priorities for all Atos medical practitioners. Participation is mandatory and ensures medical knowledge and expertise is kept up to date. Implementation is monitored through an established governance framework. Any changes or amendments to the contracted service arising from changes in business requirements include a review of the training requirements for doctors.

Benefit Claimants

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to tackle the perceived stigma of claiming benefits by people in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is currently undertaking its annual monitoring of the rural proofing of Government policy. The CRC has appointed a team of consultants who will be interviewing officials from each Government Department on selected subjects. One subject selected for the DWP is the payment of benefits. The interviews are expected to take place this month.
	The Department also produces an internal annual Rural Proofing Report for the Countryside Agency; this includes examples of how the Department has addressed service delivery issues in rural areas. A copy of the Countryside Agency's Rural Proofing Report for 2004-05 is available in the Library.
	A fundamental element of our plans for the future is the need to transform the way customers access and use the services of Jobcentre Plus so we can release resources to focus on customers who need more help. Customers are no longer required to attend our offices to make claims for benefits, undertake jobsearch activities or to enquire about their benefit payments. As we transform our services, other more efficient channels are now available to our customers, such as Jobseeker Direct, Interactive TV, or the Jobcentre Plus website, and these new options will greatly assist our customers living in rural areas.

Benefit Claimants

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely impact in each region of introducing a lower rate of benefit for young people under the age of 25 claiming the proposed employment and support allowance.

Jim Murphy: The proposal in the Green Paper was to align the basic rate of the employment and support allowance with jobseeker's allowance basic rates. In the main phase, a work-related activity component or support component would be added on top.
	During the consultation period, stakeholders raised concerns that this would penalise disabled young people. Therefore, in our consultation report we announced that we will not proceed with plans for a young person's rate during the main phase. Claimants will get the same benefit rate, regardless of age, once on the main phase of the benefit. We believe that this provides the best balance between aligning rates until the medical assessment is completed, and making sure we provide an appropriate level of support for all people with health conditions or disabilities.
	The Green Paper consultation report (CM6859) is available in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities had an increase in the numbers of incapacity benefit claimants between 2001 and 2005.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 18 July 2006
	The information has been placed in the Library.

Job Vacancies (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were listed at Jobcentre Plus in Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: pursuant to the reply, 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 54W
	Information on Jobcentre Plus vacancy data at parliamentary constituency level is only available from April 2004 and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Hartlepool Parliamentary Constituency 
			  Period  Vacancies notified to Jobcentre Plus  Average number of 'live' unfilled vacancies on any given day 
			 2004 (from April) 5,040 1,150 
			 2005 5,080 1,120 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System

Pensioners

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the amount spent by his Department, including the costs spent on administration costs, responding to requests from pensioners who live abroad and have their pensions frozen in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Information that is available is in the following tables. We are unable to provide costs prior to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Costs for 2004005 and 2005-06 
			  £million 
			   2004-05  2005-2006  Total 
			 Frozen state pension paid to pensioners living abroad 870.58 900.17 1770.75 
			 Direct costs to administer frozen state pensions for pensioners who live abroad. 3.6 3.8 7.4 
			 Total 874. 18 903.97 1778.15 
		
	
	
		
			  Costs For The First Three Months Of The Financial Year 2006-07 
			  £million 
			   2006-07 
			 Frozen state pension paid to pensioners living abroad 232.69 
			 Direct costs to administer frozen state pensions for pensioners who live abroad. 1.0 
			 Total 233.69

Pensioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pilot projects have been funded as part of the initiative announced in the 1997 pre-Budget report to encourage the improved take-up of benefits by pensioners; how many projects were given long-term funding; and how many pensioners were involved in the pilot projects.

James Purnell: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pensioners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1754W, on pensions reform, if he will add a column to the table provided in the answer showing comparable data assuming the Pension Commission's proposals were implemented in total.

James Purnell: The figures presented in the 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1753W refer to people reaching state pension age. They consequently will not be affected by including the assumption of the full implementation of the Pensions Commission proposals—i.e. to include the payment of a full basic state pension to all people aged 75 and over.

Pensioners

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of  (a) state pension and  (b) pension credits in each nation and region of the UK; and what total spending was on each benefit in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Purnell: Information that is available relating to the state pension caseload and number of individual beneficiaries of pension credit in Great Britain on 31 November 2005 is in the following table. Information relating to Northern Ireland is the responsibility of my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Government office region  State pension caseload  Pension credit—individual beneficiaries 
			 North East 481,080 193,790 
			 North West 1,252,520 432,360 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 926,680 321,090 
			 East Midlands 799,720 241,310 
			 West Midlands 990,990 345,030 
			 East of England 1,052,410 274,090 
			 London 950,070 344,550 
			 South East 1,520,840 336,510 
			 South West 1,073,570 273,700 
			 Wales 588,310 197,990 
			 Scotland 942,970 337,800 
			  Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	The total estimated spending on state pensions and pension credit in 2005-06 is in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million, nominal terms, estimated outturn 
			 Basic state pension 43,029 
			 Additional state pension 8,243 
			 Non-contributory state pension 31 
			 Total state pension expenditure 51,303 
			 Pension credit - guarantee credit 5,402 
			 Pension credit - savings credit 1,019 
			 Total pension credit expenditure 6,420 
			  Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and some additional disclosure control has been applied.  2. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds.  3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  4. The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.   Source:  DWP Expenditure tables

Pensioners

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of total spending on the  (a) basic state pension and  (b) pension credit in each (i) country and (ii) region of the UK in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044 (1) under the current arrangements and (2) under the Government's proposed pension reforms.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. Tables 1 and 2 show the total expenditure on basic state pension and pension credit respectively for the UK.
	Under our reforms, more people will be getting state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.
	Increase in the basic state pension leads to higher incomes for pensioners and as a consequence reduces the spending on pension credit. The reduction in pension credit as a result of the overall reform package can be seen in table 2. Column 2 of the table shows the level of spending without the White Paper reforms while column 3 shows spending after reforms.
	Table 1 shows total expenditure under current basic state pension policies, and under the proposed reforms.
	
		
			  Table 1: Expenditure on basic state pension 
			  £ billion, 2006-07 prices 
			   Without reform  With reform 
			 2024 62.5 77.5 
			 2034 75.9 109.7 
			 2044 81.0 137.7 
		
	
	Table 2 shows total expenditure under different pension credit policies, all of which assume the stated policy of uprating the standard guarantee with earnings until 2008: the current system projected forward with the standard guarantee uprated by prices after 2008; the same scenario but with the standard guarantee uprated with earnings after 2008; and the projected outcomes under the White Paper reforms.
	
		
			  Table 2: Expenditure on pension credit 
			  £ billion, 2006-07 prices 
			   Without reform, standard guarantee price-linked from 2008  Without reform, standard guarantee earnings-linked from 2008  With reform 
			 2024 1.9 13.0 5.9 
			 2034 1.1 21.2 3.8 
			 2044 0.9 36.1 4.6 
			  Notes:  1. Costs or savings presented in the table are based on long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit expenditure consistent with the Budget report 2006, and estimated expenditure effects of the proposed reforms.  2. Table 2 estimates of expenditure are dependent on projections of numbers receiving pension credit in the future. These projections are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of factors including policies on uprating different benefits and assumptions on rates of take-up. The assumptions applied here are consistent with those that underpin published long-run expenditure projections.  3. Table 1 includes, in the 'With reform' column, earnings uprating the basic state pension, improving coverage, and the effects of state pension age increases.  4. Table 2 includes, in the 'With reform' column, continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee; the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension and reforms to the state second pension described in the White Paper.  5. Figures exclude the effect of personal accounts.  6. Figures include the effects on expenditure on the basic state pension and on pension credit arising from increases in the state pension age as set out in the White Paper.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1716W, on Afghanistan, how many  (a) ministerial and  (b) official-level meetings on Afghanistan have taken place between the three Departments since January.

Margaret Beckett: There are regular ministerial and official meetings on Afghanistan. Since January, seven ministerial meetings and 16 senior official meetings specifically on Afghanistan have been held. At the official level there is daily contact between Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence personnel.

Brazil

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she had with the Brazilian Government regarding  (a) human and animal health,  (b) human rights and  (c) environmental issues relating to Brazilian beef imports during her recent official visit.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not discuss these issues in detail during her recent visit to Brazil. However, we regularly raise such matters with the Government of Brazil, bilaterally and with our European partners.
	Recently, at the Human Rights Council, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs discussed with Paulo Vannuchi, Brazilian State Secretary for Human Rights, ways in which our countries could deepen co-operation. In April, on his visit to Brazil, my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, also raised human rights with Paulo Vannuchi and agreed that the protection of human rights defenders was one of the key areas in which Brazil and the UK could co-operate.
	Animal health is an issue taken seriously by the UK and the EU. In August last year, the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office sent an inspection mission to Brazil. The findings were discussed in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels and the committee was satisfied that no additional restrictions on imports were justified at that stage.
	The UK has initiated a high-level dialogue on sustainable development with the Brazilian Government to promote action on sustainable development challenges—including deforestation, whether it is caused by soya production or cattle farming. The Government actively supports efforts in Brazil to promote agricultural practices that reduce environmental impact and levels of deforestation. For example, the UK, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Global Opportunities Fund, is supporting an Amazon Deforestation Soya Certification Project which aims to combat deforestation by developing and implementing an independent certification scheme for "forest-friendly" soya.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of investment channels through British Overseas Territories to Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have made no such assessment, however, Overseas Territories are required to give effect to the EU Common Position on Burma sanctions.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the European Union on securing a United Nations resolution on the Government of Burma.

Ian McCartney: The proposal for a UN Security Council Resolution on Burma was raised at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 12 June. All EU member states represented on the Security Council gave their support for a debate and resolution on Burma.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of India regarding its trade and investment policy towards Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have not made any specific representations to the Government of India regarding trade and investment in Burma. We do, however, have dialogue with the Indian Government about their policy towards Burma and have highlighted international concern about human rights and democracy in that country.
	In my discussions with the Indian Deputy Foreign Minister in the margins of the Human Rights Council on 20 June, I asked the Government of India to use its influence to encourage the Burmese Government to respect human rights and bring about political change.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of proposals for demobilisation of paramilitaries and guerrillas in Colombia.

Geoff Hoon: The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council Conclusions of October 2005 made it clear that we and other EU member states consider that the effective and transparent implementation of the Law on Justice and Peace will have a positive impact on peace-building in Colombia.
	On 18 April, the Government announced the completion under this law of the formal process of paramilitary demobilisation which saw over 30,000 paramilitaries demobilise. The challenge now for the Government of Colombia is to reintegrate the ex-combatants successfully into society, while addressing the rights of the victims of the internal armed conflict to truth, justice and reparation.
	The Colombian Government is also actively involved in talks with the National Liberation Army, a left-wing guerrilla group. The latest round of talks took place in Cuba in April. The Colombian Government's recent efforts to begin preliminary talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country's biggest illegal guerrilla group, have been consistently rejected by the guerrillas. We continue to monitor the situation.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Colombia on the impact on political stability of reductions in the international drugs trade.

Geoff Hoon: We have regular discussions with the Colombian Government at official level over our counter-narcotics co-operation. This co-operation is ongoing and is part of our commitment, together with international partners, to help the Government of Colombia tackle the scourge of drug production and drug trafficking which have such a devastating impact on many thousands of innocent Colombians. Clearly, we also have a strong interest in helping Colombia fight the illegal drugs trade, not least because an estimated 80 per cent. of the cocaine coming into Britain originates from Colombia. All the three major illegal armed groups in Colombia have been proven to be actively involved in the illegal drugs trade which fuels the internal armed conflict in the country, undermines political stability and contributes to human rights abuses. Furthermore, the vast international income from cocaine leads to extensive money laundering. Corruption and intimidation backed up by violence is rife in Colombia.
	With international assistance, Colombia is taking great steps towards tackling the international trade in drugs and other associated crimes. The counter-narcotics strategy adopted by the current Government seeks to reinforce existing judicial measures to hit drug traffickers and confiscate assets, and tackles the interconnected problems of violence, social and economic inequality, and abuse of human rights.

Conscription (Children)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the United Nations about child conscription into state armies in developing countries.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has identified child rights as one of its top three human rights priorities. One important focus for this work is addressing the issue of children affected by armed conflict, including the recruitment of children into armed forces and armed groups. The UK has supported the establishment of a UN monitoring and reporting mechanism on this issue and is actively involved in the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict to ensure that action is taken to follow up reports from this mechanism. The UK welcomes the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict to advocate the rights of children affected by armed conflict. The UK also promotes ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict through its network of diplomatic posts.

Conscription (Children)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of children conscripted into armies for military action in  (a) Asia,  (b) Africa and  (c) Latin America.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no estimate of the number of children recruited by armed forces and armed groups in these countries. A number of studies exist in this area, including some by non-governmental organisations, as well as statistics on the numbers of children involved in disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes. The picture of the numbers affected is complicated by the many ways in which children can be affected by conflict, for example as porters, messengers, spies or cooks, as well as active combatants. The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict said in a report to the General Assembly in September 2005 that over 250,000 children continue to be exploited as child soldiers. The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers estimated in its 2004 Global Report that up to 100,000 children in Africa remained involved in hostilities and also provided estimates for situations in specific countries in Asia and Latin America. This report is accessible most easily at the following website:
	http://www.child-soldiers.org/resources/global-reports

Conscription (Children)

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the number of children conscripted into armies in  (a) Sierra Leone,  (b) the Philippines,  (c) Colombia,  (d) Burundi,  (e) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (f) Liberia,  (g) Somalia,  (h) Afghanistan,  (i) Burma and  (j) Uganda; what recent representations she has made on the conscription of children into the army of each country; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no estimate of the number of children recruited by armed forces and armed groups in these countries. A number of studies exist in this area, including some by non-governmental organisations, as well as statistics on the numbers of children involved in disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes. The picture of the numbers affected is complicated by the many ways in which children can be affected by conflict, for example as porters, messengers, spies or cooks, as well as active combatants. One helpful source in this area is the Child Soldiers Global Report 2004, produced by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers which provides estimates for the countries listed. This document is accessible most easily at the following website:
	http://www.child-soldiers.org/resources/global-reports
	Ministers and officials have made representations on this issue. For example, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade has raised our concerns on a number of issues in Burma including the recruitment of child soldiers with the Burmese ambassador in London, and in writing to the Burmese Foreign Minister. During 2005, officials were active in a series of EU dmarches in countries where the use of child soldiers is a particular problem. Dmarches were conducted in Burundi, Colombia, Cte d'lvoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Nepal, Sudan and Uganda. The UK has also sought to ensure that disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes are sustainable and make appropriate provision for the particular needs of children. This has included specific assistance in a number of the countries listed, for example the Ministry of Defence's assistance in reforming recruiting practices in the Sierra Leone army.

Departmental Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the carbon emissions of her Department; what commitment she has made to reducing such emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: In 2004-05, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) carbon emissions from energy on the UK estate totalled 3,374 tonnes. We are committed to reducing our emissions and are taking the following actions:
	we are in the process of implementing the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme to help us identify opportunities to reduce our use of energy;
	we are upgrading the energy control systems at Hanslope Park, our rural site in Buckinghamshire, and in our Main Building. We have commenced a programme of replacing inefficient light fittings across the estate;
	we monitor our performance against targets for energy reduction, among other environmental issues, through an externally certified Environmental Management System, in line with the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government estate;
	we apply the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), which includes forecast energy consumption, to new builds and major refurbishments;
	we actively encourage staff and contractors to follow good practice in using energy efficiently and effectively through, for example, an Energy and Recycling Campaign in February 2006;
	we are installing software on the next generation of the FCO's global IT network, due to start roll out early in 2007, to power down workstations automatically out of hours.
	In addition, the FCO is offsetting the carbon dioxide and other emissions generated by the air travel of Ministers and officials based in the UK starting with our 2004 emissionsone year ahead of the requirement of Government Departments to offset air travel by April 2006. We encourage our posts to apply good environmental management and are running a pilot project on environmental management at nine posts to determine how best we might introduce the principles of formal environmental management to our wider network.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the Unnumbered Command Papers produced by her Department in each Session since 1976; by what means  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: A list of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Unnumbered Command Papers since 1992 can be obtained from the Library of the House and I will arrange for a copy of the list to be sent to the hon. Member. Previous years could be listed only at disproportionate cost.
	Copies of unnumbered Command Papers from the 2001 and 2005 Parliaments are available to hon. Members via the Library of the House and to members of the public via the Public Record Office.

Diplomatic Service (School Fees)

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the policy of her Department is on the payment of school fees for the children of staff employed in the diplomatic service abroad when those children attend  (a) international schools abroad or  (b) fee-paying schools in the UK.

Geoff Hoon: It is a condition of their employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children also have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive full-time education from the age of five years. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) therefore helps staff meet these potentially conflicting obligations in two circumstances:
	Children who accompany their parents on postings overseas are expected to use free state schooling if it is available locally and is of a suitable standard. At posts where no suitable schooling is available free-of-charge locally, the FCO refunds the cost of local school fees to enable children to receive the level of education to which they would be entitled in the UK.
	Staff are liable to move at regular intervals, every 12-48 months, often to locations where schools offering English language education are unavailable or inadequate. Providing continuity of education can therefore pose real problems, particularly during the important examination years. The FCO therefore provides an accountable allowance to enable children to board at school in the UK, while their parents remain subject to the worldwide mobility obligation.

Dr. Laurence Jones

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will take urgent steps to enable Dr. Laurence Jones to return to the UK from Australia; for what reason his retrieved passport could not be temporarily validated for travel back to the UK; for what reason his replacement passport was not issued within the initial 20-day period; and for what reason it was not issued within the subsequent two-week period of which notice was given by her Department.

Kim Howells: holding answer 18 July 2006
	We regret the inconvenience caused to Dr. Jones and apologise for the delay to the issue of his passport, which was caused by an unfortunate administrative error. The passport was despatched to him by courier on 17 July from our high commission in Canberra. It is expected to be delivered to him in Darwin on 19 or 20 July. The passport section in our high commission in Canberra has advised Dr. Jones of this development directly. He has also been informed that we will reimburse all telephone expenses incurred by him with regard to his application.

Export Licences

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for a standard individual export licence were referred to her Department by the Export Licensing Organisation (ELO) in 2005; how many of these applications were considered by the Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance Group; in how many of these applications the Group initially advised against the granting of a licence; how many were the subject of written submissions from the Group; and in how many cases where an initial recommendation for refusal was issued by the Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance Group her Department recommended to the ELO refusing that licence.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received 7,381 standard individual export licence applications in 2005. It is not possible to give a further breakdown of departmental assessment of applications since this information is not recorded. All applications are assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, including against criterion 2, which deals with human rights concerns. Should there be a clear risk that the equipment on the application is a risk to human rights in the recipient country, the licence will not be issued. Human Rights, Democracy and Governance Group are asked to advise on applications where specific human rights concerns arise. Ministerial decisions are sought for finely balanced cases.

Extradition Treaties

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which countries the UK has extradition treaties; how many people were extradited  (a) to each country from the UK and  (b) to the UK from each country in the latest year for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Extradition Act 2003 divides the UK's extradition partners into two categories. Part 1 territories are those EU member states who, like the UK, operate the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) procedure. These are:
	Austria; Belgium; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; the Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; and Sweden
	Part 2 territories include those Members of the Council of Europe who are not in the EU and are party to the European Convention on Extradition; Commonwealth territories; and bilateral extradition treaty partners, such as the United States. These are:
	Albania; Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Armenia; Argentina; Australia; Azerbaijan; The Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Cook Islands; Croatia; Cuba; Dominica; Ecuador; El Salvador; Fiji; The Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti; Hong Kong Special Administrative Region *; Iceland; India; Iraq; Israel; Jamaica; Kenya; Kiribati; Lesotho; Liberia; Liechtenstein; the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Monaco; Nauru; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Norway; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Romania; Russian Federation; Saint Christopher and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; San Marino; Serbia and Montenegro; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Solomon Islands; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Swaziland; Switzerland; Tanzania; Thailand; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turkey; Tuvalu; Uganda; Ukraine; United States of America; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Western Samoa; Zambia and Zimbabwe.
	In 2005, under the EAW procedure, the UK extradited 77 people to other EU member states and had 66 people returned to this country. Under part 2 of the 2003 Act, the UK extradited 62 people last year and had 11 people returned to this country.
	This information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  UK extradition statistics for 2005 
			  Part 1   
			  Country  Surrendered by UK  Returned to UK 
			 Austria 0 0 
			 Belgium 8 1 
			 Cyprus 0 1 
			 Czech Republic 0 0 
			 Denmark 3 0 
			 Estonia 0 0 
			 Finland 2 0 
			 France 4 7 
			 Germany 8 6 
			 Greece 0 4 
			 Hungary 0 0 
			 Ireland 11 4 
			 Italy 0 1 
			 Latvia 0 1 
			 Lithuania 27 0 
			 Luxembourg 0 0 
			 Malta 0 0 
			 Netherlands 3 10 
			 Poland 4 0 
			 Portugal 3 1 
			 Slovakia 0 0 
			 Slovenia 0 0 
			 Spain 3 29 
			 Sweden 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Part 2   
			  Country  Surrendered by UK  Returned to UK 
			 Albania 1 0 
			 Australia 2 0 
			 Canada 2 1 
			 Cayman Islands 0 1 
			 Croatia 1 0 
			 Czech 4 1 
			 Republic(1)   
			 Estonia(1) 1 0 
			 France(1) 6 0 
			 Germany(1) 7 1 
			 Grenada 1 0 
			 Hungary(1) 1 0 
			 Italy(1) 5 0 
			 Jamaica 0 2 
			 Lithuania(1) 3 0 
			 Monaco 1 0 
			 Norway 1 1 
			 Poland(1) 1 0 
			 Portugal(1) 1 0 
			 Romania 2 0 
			 Serbia  Montenegro 0 1 
			 Slovakia(1) 2 0 
			 South Africa 1 0 
			 Spain(1) 3 2 
			 Switzerland 1 0 
			 Turkey 1 0 
			 USA 14 1 
			 (1 )Indicates an EU member state where all or some of the extradition requests were made/received before the date the State began operating the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant.

Human Cloning

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1519-20W, on human cloning, if she will place in the Library copies of the instructions sent to the UK delegation; if she will list the  (a) Departments,  (b) organisations and  (c) individuals (i) she consulted and who (ii) made representations to her Department; if she will place in the Library copies of any representations received; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: As I explained in my answer to the hon. Member on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1519-20W, the instructions sent to the UK delegation covered a range of options for possible votes on different draft resolutions or motions. Publication of instructions to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts could be damaging to our international relations. It would not therefore be appropriate to place a copy in the Library of the House. The FCO consulted the Department of Health, which takes the lead on the issue, the Office of Science and Technology, as it then was, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Medical Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Royal Society. We lobbied other governments in capitals and in New York and received a range of views in response. These discussions were held in confidence. We do not have copies of oral representations received from others. The chief executive of the British Bioindustry Association wrote to my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary on 12 October 2004, strongly supporting the UK position. Copies of this letter and my right hon. Friend's reply will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Government's views were set out in New York on several occasions, including in statements by the UK Permanent Representative to the UN General Assembly in October 2004 and March 2005. Copies of these statements will also be placed in the Library of the House. I will also send the hon. Member copies of the letters and statements to be placed in the Library of the House.

Israel (F16 Military Aircraft)

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations  (a) she and  (b) her officials have undertaken into the use of F16 Israeli military aircraft during airstrikes into (i) Gaza since the start of May 2006 and (ii) Lebanon since 12 July 2006; and what the results of those investigations have been.

Kim Howells: Our embassy in Tel Aviv is monitoring the situation closely. It has confirmed reports that Israel is using F16s in its incursions into Gaza and Lebanon.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received from the EU Commissioner for External Relations regarding the outcome of her recent visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I have had no specific discussions with EU Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner regarding the outcome of her visit, but we have remained in close contact with the European Commission on a number of issues relating to her visit, such as the temporary international mechanism.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1003W, on the Middle East, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of existing security arrangements in the Gulf; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Security of the Gulf is vital to our interests. We support a number of initiatives in the region, such as the International Institute of Strategic Studies' regional Gulf Dialogue. Cabinet level delegations have attended the two conferences in Bahrain in 2004 and 2005. If any initiative is to be successful, leadership must come from the region.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations she is undertaking to ascertain whether military equipment or components supplied directly or indirectly from the UK are being used by Israel in the military action it has been taking inside Lebanon since 12 July.

Kim Howells: In common with all of our diplomatic posts, our Embassy in Tel Aviv monitors local developments closely and notes any information which comes to light that military equipment supplied by the UK has been used in a manner inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria. The Government will take this into consideration when assessing any future export licence applications. The Government may also revoke relevant licence(s) and ask the authorities in the country concerned to investigate.
	All export licence applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application.

Nomenclature

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her Department's policy is on changes in nomenclature of foreign place names in official documents following linguistic revisions by foreign governments, with particular reference to  (a) India,  (b) Burma and  (c) China; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) consults the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN) on issues concerning foreign geographical names. The PCGN is an interdepartmental body, whose principal function is to advise the Government on policies and procedures for the proper writing of geographical names for places and features outside the United Kingdom, excluding those of the Antarctic. The final decision on the appropriate name to use, however, rests with the lead section on geographical names within the FCO.
	The policy for the application of geographical names is to follow the practice of the supreme administering authority of the country concerned. It is the FCO's policy to recognise changes of geographical name where these fall within the sovereign competence of a particular foreign government. For example, in India the name change from Madras to Chennai has been made according to due processes within the Government of India and requires appropriate acknowledgement within the FCO. The name Madras would therefore now be considered a former name for this city, in the same way that Salisbury is a former name for Harare.
	However, there will be a number of occasions where a geographical name within the sovereign competence of a particular foreign government is already known in a traditional form in the English language and it would not be unusual for this form to be used within the FCO for ease of recognition. For example, the Burmese geographical name Yangon has long been known in the English language as Rangoon, and that form continues to be acceptable today. However, the use of English-language terms can also alter over time. This could be considered to have occurred in the case of Beijing, where the name Peking is today rarely encountered as the English-language name.

North Korea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the effectiveness of efforts to limit the illicit flow of nuclear material to North Korea; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are not aware of any flow of illicit nuclear material. North Korea's graphite-moderated reactor at Yongbyon has been fuelled using indigenously produced natural uranium fuel.
	Pakistani scientist Dr. A. Q. Khan has admitted to having supplied uranium enrichment technology to North Korea, although North Korea denies having a uranium enrichment programme.

North Korea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the potential for proliferation of  (a) nuclear weapons material and technology and  (b) missile technology from North Korea to state or non-state actors.

Margaret Beckett: North Korea's willingness to supply to others ballistic missile systems and technology is well established. Given the complexity of ballistic missiles and the necessary support systems, we believe it is extremely unlikely any non-state actor would seek to procure them.
	While North Korea might be willing in principle to supply nuclear weapons material and technology to others, we do not currently assess this to be a significant risk. We and our allies, however, are monitoring continuously for any indication North Korea might be considering such a transfer.

Pastor Zhang Rongliang

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she intervened in the case of Pastor Zhang Rongliang, sentenced to imprisonment in China.

Ian McCartney: The Government are very concerned about human rights abuses in China. We have raised the case of Pastor Zhang Rongliang with the Chinese Government on a number of occasions, including at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 3 July. The Chinese Government gave no new information about Pastor Zhang and we have received no official confirmation of recent reports of his sentencing. We will continue to raise our concerns about the harassment and imprisonment of religious practitioners in China and to closely monitor Pastor Zhang's case.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many public appointments are within her patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Geoff Hoon: Details of the public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can be found in Public Bodies, copies of which are in the Library of the House or at the following website:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of Public Bodies contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. Comparable information for 1976 in respect of the FCO could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	A summary of the FCO's latest information on public appointments to public bodies is as follows:
	 Diplomatic Service Appeal Board
	Chair: Vacant
	Remuneration: 0
	Deputy Chair: Diana Ratzer
	Remuneration: 0
	 Notes:
	Remuneration is only paid when the Board meets. The Board last sat in 2004.
	 The Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine
	Chair: Sir David Wright
	Remuneration: 0
	Secretary: Robert Alexander
	Remuneration: 0 Civil Servant
	 Notes:
	None
	 Wilton Park Academic Council
	Chair: Dr Farhan Nizami
	Remuneration: 0
	Secretary: Jane Rawbone
	Remuneration: 0 Civil Servant
	 Notes: The Wilton Park Academic Council (WPAC) oversee the conference themes and academic independence of Wilton Park Conferences, an Executive Agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Wilton Park is responsible for organising WPAC meetings and members are unremunerated.
	 British Association for Central and Eastern Europe
	Chair: The right hon. Lord Radice
	Remuneration: 0
	Director: Nicholas Jarrold
	Remuneration: 48,000 per annum
	 Notes: The Chair is appointed by the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe with the approval of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	 The British Council
	Chair: Lord Kinnock
	Remuneration: 0
	Chief Executive: Sir David Green
	Remuneration: 149,576
	 Notes:
	None
	 Great Britain-China Centre (The)
	Chair: Peter Batey, OBE
	Remuneration: 0
	Notes:
	The Chair is elected by the Executive Committee, with the approval of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. All new members of the Executive Committee are elected by the Executive Committee.
	 Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission
	Chair: Jonathan Taylor
	Remuneration: 0
	Executive Secretary: Dr John Kirkland
	Remuneration: 0
	 Notes:
	None
	 Westminster Foundation for Democracy (The)
	Chair: Hugh Bayley, MP
	Remuneration: 0
	Chief Executive: David French
	Remuneration: 99,066 per annum
	 Notes:
	Government funding is by FCO Grant in Aid. Other expenditure is from special purpose grants.
	 BBC World Service (Including BBC Monitoring) (BBCWS)
	Director BBCWS: Nigel Chapman
	Remuneration: 228,000 per annum
	Chairman:
	Remuneration: 0
	 Notes:
	Chair, Deputy and members are the same as those for the BBC, and are listed only under that body (Department for Culture, Media and Sport Public Corporation) to avoid double-counting. The total gross expenditure figure shown above is gross expenditure from WS accounts plus BBCM accounts.
	 Foreign Compensation Commission
	Chairman (part-time): Dr John Barker
	Remuneration: Fee-paid on a daily basis. Budget allocation is 20,000 per annum
	Secretary and Chief Examiner (part-time): Barrie England
	Remuneration: 11,200 per annum
	 Notes:
	None.
	 Ad Hoc Advisory Groups
	All of the information that follows refers to Boards chaired by Officials or Ministers:
	 Caribbean Board
	Chair: Colleen Harris and Pat Ramsey/Marilla Logan (job-share)
	 Notes:
	The Caribbean Board provides advice and runs projects.
	 Consular Strategy Board
	Chair: Rob Macaire, Director of Consular Services
	 Notes:
	The aim and remit of the Board is to develop the Consular Strategy: In partnership, to investigate and debate the key challenges identified in that Strategy and the National Audit Office report on Consular Services, and to help Consular Directorate identify emerging trends and advise on potential difficulties of any proposed policies.
	 Public Diplomacy Strategy Board
	Chair:
	 Notes:
	This group ceased operation on 30 January 2006 following Lord Carter's review of Public Diplomacy and was replaced by new Public Diplomacy Board, with the same status but different membership (see below).
	 Public Diplomacy Board
	Chair: Lord Triesman
	 Notes:
	The aim of the Public Diplomacy Board is to improve public diplomacy effectiveness by:
	Setting the strategic direction of UK public diplomacy;
	Monitoring and evaluating the outcomes;
	Making recommendations on resource allocation.
	 Travel Advice Review Group
	Chair: Rob Macaire, Director of Consular Services
	 Notes:
	The Travel Advice Review Group (TARG) was set up at the request of my right hon. Friend the former Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) following completion of the Review of FCO Travel Advice in 2004. The group comprises mainly the stakeholders to the review, i.e. those from all walks of the travel and tourism industry as well as insurance, airlines, non-governmental organisations, the Confederation of British Industry and travel publications. The purpose of the TARG is to discuss issues relating to FCO travel advice that are of common interest.
	 UK India Round Table
	Chair: Right hon. Lord Barnes CH
	 Notes:
	Members of the UK India Round Table are invited by my right hon. friend the Foreign Secretary to become members. Current members are:
	Sir Tim Lankester
	Bryan K. Sanderson CBE
	Professor Dame Sandra Dawson DBE
	Sir Mark Tully
	Ms Patience Wheatcroft
	Karan F. Bilimoria CBE DL
	Richard Lambert
	Dr Tidu Maini BSc ACGI DIG PhD
	Nick Pearce
	Jon Snow
	Malcolm Chalmers
	Members receive no remuneration apart from expenses.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role her Department has played in engaging the international community to provide additional support to the African Union force in Darfur; what progress has been made; and what contribution the UK has made to the provision of such support.

Margaret Beckett: The UK has played a leading role in supporting the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). We have committed 20 million for this financial year, bringing our total contribution to AMIS since its inception to 52 million. The money has provided vehicles, logistical support and other practical assistance.
	We are also playing a leading role in efforts to secure further support for AMIS. We regularly lobby our EU and other international partners to provide additional assistance. The US, the EU and certain other donors have already made substantial contributions. We expect further pledges to be made at the forthcoming AMIS Donors Conference in Brussels on 18 July.

Treaties

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by how many international treaties the United Kingdom is bound; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) treaty records, which began in 1835, list 6,826 bilateral and multilateral treaties to which the United Kingdom became party and which entered into force for the United Kingdom. The authoritative Index of British Treaties, published by HM Stationery Office in 1970, contains 1,498 such treaties for the period 1101 to 1835, thus giving a total of 8,324 treaties to-date.
	This figure relates to treaties that have not been expressly terminated or otherwise recorded as no longer in force for the United Kingdom. FCO treaty records are held in electronic format and comprise both modern elements and information derived from 19th century records. The number of treaties stated above is the most accurate figure possible based on the finding-aids available.

UN Conference on Small Arms

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of why it was not possible to get an agreement on stricter controls at the UN Conference on Small Arms; what opportunities there are for revisiting this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: It was very disappointing that the UN Small Arms Review Conference failed to agree an outcome document, particularly as the UK had succeeded in agreeing a consensus text on the need for work at the national, regional and global levels to strengthen transfer controls. Fortunately, as the achievement of a consensus text indicates, all countries now recognise the need to address the issue of transfer controls within the UN Programme of Action. Over 100 states at the Review Conference expressed support for strengthening transfer controls. The UK will continue to work with all states to build support for agreement on common guidelines for small arms and light weapons transfers, building on the progress made at regional level in the past three years under the UK's Transfer Controls Initiative. The UK is also keen to work with Canada on its proposal for an informal meeting of states in 2007 focused on transfer controls.

DEFENCE

BL755 Cluster Munition

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the failure rate of the BL755 cluster munition and  (b) its reliability for use in combat situations;
	(2)  by what method his Department assesses BL755 failure rates; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the classified reports which support the Department's assessment of the failure rate for the BL755 cluster munition contain evidence derived from combat use;
	(4)  whether an assessment has been made of the failure rate for the BL755 cluster munition based solely on evidence from combat use.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2515W, to my hon. Friend for Stroud (Mr. Drew).
	Information on the failure rate of the BL755 cluster bomb used by the RAF is collected during regular in-service surveillance trials. These trials are carried out by the Design Organisation (Lockheed Martin UK Insys Ltd.) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
	The results of these trials are used to confirm the reliability of the BL755 cluster bomb for operational use. Some analysis of the accuracy and performance of BL755 cluster bombs used during operations has been undertaken; however, the reliability of individual weapons was not specifically addressed as part of this analysis.

Efficiency Savings

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the  (a) Royal Navy,  (b) Royal Air Force,  (c) Army and  (d) Defence Procurement Agency will meet the 2.5 per cent. reductions as part of the Ministry of Defence's 2.5 per cent. departmental efficiency savings.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence's 2.5 per cent. efficiency savings target equates to a total of 2.8 billion of annual efficiency gains across the department by the end of the three-year Spending Review 2004 period. A breakdown of how the MOD intends to achieve this target can be found in the MOD efficiency technical note, which is published on the Department's website at www.mod.uk.

Gulf War Illnesses

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) former and  (b) serving British soldiers have been diagnosed with Gulf war-related illnesses.

Tom Watson: Information on all the illnesses reported by veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict while still serving is not held centrally, as the Ministry of Defence does not hold records of all medical conditions reported after an individual has left the services. The NHS is responsible for the health care of ex-service personnel but information on diagnoses does not differentiate Gulf veterans. For those Gulf veterans still serving, Defence Medical Services are responsible for providing treatment for all medical conditions. We do not, however, hold diagnostic information specific to the operations on which personnel were deployed.

Helicopters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) medium and  (b) heavy lift helicopters are in service with the (i) Royal Air Force and (ii) Army, broken down by make.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The numbers of medium and heavy lift helicopters, in service in the Forward Fleet as at May 2006, broken down by type, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Medium Lift 
			  Type  Number in service 
			 Puma HC1 26 
			 Sea King Mk 3/3a 17 
			 Merlin Mk 3 14 
		
	
	
		
			  Heavy Lift 
			  Type  Number in service 
			 Chinook Mk2/2a 28 
		
	
	All medium and heavy lift helicopters in service in the Forward Fleet are owned by the Joint Helicopter Command. There are no medium and heavy lift helicopters operated by the Army. In addition to the figures shown in the table, the Royal Navy operate 30 Sea King Mk 4 medium lift helicopters.

Iraq

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which occasions Ministers in his Department have  (a) met the bereaved families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and  (b) visited in hospital British soldiers wounded in Iraq.

Des Browne: Defence Ministers frequently visit members of the armed forces injured in Iraq. Since February, Defence Ministers have visited injured personnel on the following occasions:
	 Secretary of State:
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 17 May 2005
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 2 December 2005
	Visited Headley Court and Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 20 January 2006
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 18 March 2006
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 18 May 2006
	 Minister for the Armed Forces:
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 6-9 March 2005
	Visited Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 14 June 2005
	Visited 7th Armoured Brigade in Germany on 8-9 May 2006
	Visited Headley Court on 10 July 2006
	 Minister for Defence Procurement:
	Visited the Field Hospital at Shaibah Logistics Base in Iraq on 7 July 2005
	Visited Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 18 November 2005
	 Under Secretary of State:
	Visited Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 21 February 2005
	Visited Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 8 September 2005
	Visited Royal College of Defence Medicine at Selly Oak on 16 June 2006
	For details of visits prior to those above, I refer the hon. Member to an answer given by my predecessor, the then Secretary of State for Defence, on 2 February 2005,  Official Report, column 899W, to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart).
	Relatives of personnel killed in Iraq have also met the Defence Secretary at a repatriation ceremony at RAF Lyneham on 8 February 2005 and at a Remembrance Service at Salisbury Cathedral on 20 May 2005. The Minister for the Armed Forces attended a repatriation ceremony on 18 May 2006 at RAF Brize Norton.
	In addition to the specific visits identified above, Ministers have on numerous occasions visited personnel in Iraq and in the UK once they have returned from operational duty. On some of these occasions, Ministers will have met with personnel and their families. As it was not the main focus of these visits, the exact details have not been recorded.

Military Equipment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the level of stocks of surplus clothing held by each of the armed forces was in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The armed forces hold sufficient stocks of clothing to meet their requirements as determined by Defence Planning Assumptions. Any surplus clothing (e.g. due to a change in the requirement) is disposed of through the Disposals Services Agency. Information on surplus clothing stock levels is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will reconsider the purchase of the armoured Pinzgauer vehicles on order for troops in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what the performance specifications are of the new patrol vehicle Vector; what type of vehicle it is; and how its armour protection compares with the  (a) Snatch Land Rover and  (b) RG-31;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the level of protection afforded to troops by the  (a) RG-31 vehicle and  (b) Snatch Land Rover.

Des Browne: Vector is the name of the programme to buy a new, Pinzgauer based, protected patrol vehicle to supplement the current Land Rover Snatch vehicle. The programme is on contract for delivery of vehicles in 2007. The key performance requirements for Vector are improved mobility, payload and capacity compared to Snatch. We do not comment on levels of armour protection, as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of our armed forces.

Nuclear Test Veterans

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with representatives from  (a) the USA,  (b) Canada,  (c) Australia and  (d) New Zealand on nuclear test veterans and sharing of best practice.

Tom Watson: I have had no discussions with these countries on nuclear test veterans and sharing of best practice. MOD officials maintain contact with these countries on a wide range of veterans' issues, mainly under the auspices of the Senior International Forum. We are of course aware of the recent Australian and New Zealand Reports on the health of nuclear test veterans. We are studying these carefully and have been in touch with officials from both countries with respect to their findings.

Operation Mountain Thrust

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) NATO commanders and officials and  (b) British (i) commanders and officials and (ii) Ministers were consulted by (A) US commanders and (B) the US Administration before Operation Mountain Thrust in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: holding answer 6 July 2006
	I can confirm that NATO/UK commanders and officials, and British Ministers, discussed Operation Mountain Thrust with US commanders and the US Administration.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the possible barriers that veterans face when attempting to access  (a) housing and  (b) employment on leaving the armed forces.

Tom Watson: We are working closely with the Department for Committees and Local Government to enable service personnel to qualify under the local connection provisions of the Housing Act 1996, in order to overcome the barriers common to both servicemen and their civilian counterparts in access to affordable or social housing. The Joint Service Housing Advice Office offers advice and information about mortgages and affordable home ownership solutions including shared equity schemes. For those single personnel in danger of homelessness, it can facilitate access to temporary accommodation.
	The success of Service leavers who use the career transition partnership as part of their resettlement preparation in securing employment after dischargeover 50 per cent. within one month of discharge, rising to over 95 per cent. six months after departuresuggests that there are few barriers to employment of most service personnel. Coaching provided by the Partnership often gives service leavers a competitive edge over other candidates and many of the personal attributes inherent in service culture are highly prized by civilian employers.
	The Career Transition Partnership has an effective marketing arm that carefully targets prospective employers who can offer quality jobs to service leavers. Its marketing strategy includes dispelling negative misconceptions about service personnel and their ability to adapt to the civilian workplace. Employers who engage service leavers are seldom disappointed and tend to seek more when vacancies arise.
	Individuals who depart under early service leaver arrangements may face more of a challenge. Those that discharge from recruit and basic professional training establishments before completing courses of instruction are unlikely to have gained the transferable competencies and professional qualifications of those service personnel who have entered productive military service. They therefore are more likely to have to contend with the same barriers to employment as confront civilians with a comparable lack of marketable skills. However, on discharge all ex-regular military personnel, regardless of age, have immediate access to the Department of Work and Pensions new deal, which includes occupational and basic skills training.

HEALTH

Acute Hospital Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has accepted the recommendations of the 2002 Royal College of Physicians working party on isolated acute medical services.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 14 July 2006
	At the time of publication, the Government noted this report, which was based on a survey conducted in spring 2001 and made a valuable contribution to the development of best practice in this area.

Advertising Campaigns

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advertising campaigns her Department has run since July 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Ivan Lewis: The table sets out the advertising campaigns commissioned by the Department's communications directorate since July 2004, showing the date and cost.
	
		
			  2004-05 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost ( million) 
			 Drugs (joint campaign with the Home Office) July, December 2004 February, March 2005 0.99 
			 Flu October, November 2004 1.50 
			 NHS including nurse recruitment September 2004 February 2005 5.84 
			 Sexual health January, February 2004 1.26 
			 Social care/worker recruitment January, March 2005 2.14 
			 Smoking testimonial campaign July to September, November 2004 7.90 
			 Emotional consequences and local NHS Stop Smoking January to March 2005 8.75 
			 Second hand smoke - children   
			 Motivations that matter - young adults (smoking)   
			 Second hand smoke - adults   
			 Local NHS stop smoking   
			 Testimonials and local NHS Stop Smoking   
			 Winter (Get the right treatment) November 2004 0.59 
			 E111 April 2004 until March 2005 0.32 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost ( million) 
			 Drugs (joint campaign with the Home Office) October, December 2005 February, March 2006 1.70 
			 Flu October, November 2005 1.85 
			 NHS including nurse recruitment September 2005 0.24 
			 Sexual health  0.00 
			 Social care/worker recruitment February, March 2006 2.44 
			 Smoking testimonial campaign December 2005 0.56 
			 Emotional consequences and local NHS Stop Smoking   
			 Second hand smoke - children May to June 2005 4.90 
			 Motivations that matter - young adults (smoking) July to August 2005 4.32 
			 Second hand smoke - adults September to October 2005 4.25 
			 Local NHS stop smoking September to November 2005 0.79 
			 Testimonials and local NHS Stop Smoking February to March 2006 5.53 
			 Winter (Get the right treatment) October, November 2005 0.59 
			 E111 May 2005 to March 2006 1.37

Alliance Medical

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress in reviewing the scans carried out by Alliance Medical.

Ivan Lewis: Scan quality is independently audited every six months by the clinical guardian of the contract, Professor Adrian Dixon, national health service sponsors and Alliance Medical Ltd.'s head of clinical governance. In addition, two audits have been produced by the Royal College of Radiologists in conjunction with the Department. The audits are available at the Royal College of Radiologists website at:
	www.rcr.ac.uk/docs/radiology/pdf/MR_CG_Audit_Apri!2006.pdf
	and at:
	www.rcr.ac.uk/docs/newsroom/pdf/MRI_AUDIT_REPORT_FINAL_17505.pdf
	The second audit, which was published in April 2006, again found that there was little overall difference in the clinical opinion between independent service provider (Alliance Medical Ltd.) and the NHS reports and, that there was little overall difference in the technical quality of the magnetic resonance examinations between the two services overall.
	Quality is monitored consistently throughout the contract as an integral part of the clinical governance framework. Any discrepancies or concerns are audited on a case by case basis by the clinical guardian of the contract.

Alzheimer's Disease

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the likely effect on costs to  (a) local authority social services and  (b) the NHS of caring for patients with mild Alzheimer's disease of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's proposal to restrict treatment for such patients.

Ivan Lewis: No such estimate has been made. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal of these drugs has not yet concluded. Until NICE issues revised guidance to the national health service, its original guidance issued in 2001 continues to apply.

Social Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that voluntary, private and public providers of care receive the same levels of fee and remuneration for publicly-funded care places.

Ivan Lewis: The principles for contracting for care services set out in Building Capacity and Partnerships in Care include fairness to all service providers and the encouragement of fair competition.

Social Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people employed in the care of elderly and vulnerable people in West Lancashire have subsequently been found to have criminal records and to be unsuitable for such employment; and what steps she has taken to remedy this situation;
	(2)  what steps her Department takes to ensure that private companies providing care in West Lancashire for  (a) the elderly and  (b) vulnerable adults ensure that all their employees are checked by the Criminal Records Bureau before commencing employment.

Ivan Lewis: I understand from the Criminal Records Bureau that figures for people with criminal records found to be unsuitable for employment in the care of elderly and vulnerable people specifically in West Lancashire are not available.
	The Criminal Records Bureau estimates that in 2005 some 25,000 unsuitable people were prevented from working with children and vulnerable adults as a direct result of Criminal Record Bureau checks.
	All care homes, domiciliary care agencies, adult placements schemes and nurses agencies in England are regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which is the independent regulator for social care. The CSCI is responsible for registering and inspecting the regulated social care sector in accordance with statutory regulations and national minimum standards to ensure consistency and improve the quality of life and level of protection for the most vulnerable people in society.
	Regulated social care providers are required to conduct rigorous pre-employment checks on prospective staff including obtaining a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure. Since 26 July 2004, there has also been a requirement for prospective employees in these areas to be checked against the protection of vulnerable adults list before starting work.
	The CSCI takes appropriate enforcement action where there is a breach of the regulations.
	Information about the reasons for enforcement action by the CSCI is not collected centrally.

Social Care

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she  (a) is taking and  (b) plans to take to ensure that people who have (i) multiple sclerosis and (ii) other long-term and fluctuating conditions receive access to social care at an early stage in the progression of their condition.

Ivan Lewis: The national service framework for long-term conditions, published in March 2005, has as a key quality requirement the need to ensure people living with long-term conditions are offered a timely integrated assessment of their individual health and social care needs.

Social Care

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the uniformity of access to social care in different parts of the country.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not made any recent assessment of the uniformity of access to social care in different parts of the country. Fair access to care services (FACS) is designed to deliver uniformity of access within council areas, not between councils. Decisions about eligibility for services are made by individual councils in response to local need and according to criteria set out in the FACS guidance Fair Access to Care Services Guidance on Eligibility Criteria for Adult Social Care. The guidance is contained in local authority circular (2002)13 and available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/01/96/41/04019641.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Social Care

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will increase the amount spent on equipment used by social care workers to care for individuals with  (a) multiple sclerosis and  (b) other conditions resulting in mobility problems.

Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts and councils to decide, locally, how best to allocate resources and provide appropriate mobility equipment for their population.

Central Budget Review

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) of 20 March 2006,  Official Report, column 175W, on section 64, when the central budget review will be completed.

Ivan Lewis: The central budget review for 2006-07 was completed at the end of April 2006. Final central budget allocations were issued to directors at the start of June. The allocations have been subject to minor reductions to cover a small number of pressures that were considered inescapable.

Community Hospitals

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) letters and  (b) other representations her Department has received on Chippenham community hospital.

Ivan Lewis: Due to the way data is collected, the Department is unable to provide the number of letters received in relation to Chippenham community hospital.

Dental Laboratories

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental laboratories there were in  (a) England and  (b) North Dorset in December 2005; and what estimate she has made of the number of dental laboratories which have closed in each area since this date.

Rosie Winterton: Between December 2005 and July 2006, the number of dental laboratories registered under the medical devices directive in the United Kingdom increased from 3,090 to 3,104. We do not have any more detailed information on numbers of laboratories, as dental laboratories are private enterprises with which the national health service has no contractual relationship.

Drug Addiction

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the relative  (a) efficiency and  (b) effectiveness of (i) naltraczone, (ii) Subutex and (iii) methadone in treating drug addiction; whether such drugs are to be made more widely available; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department recognises the key role that effective pharmacotherapies, including substitute opiate prescribing and medications such as naltrexone to assist relapse prevention, may play in the management of opiate dependence. The Department published its evidence-based Clinical Guidelines, Drug misuse and dependenceguidelines on clinical management, in 1999, on the advice of an independent expert group and in conjunction with relevant professional bodies. The 1999 Clinical Guidelines address the use of methadone, buprenorphine (more recently with a marketing authorisation for use as Subutex) and naltrexone. The guidelines discuss the relative effectiveness of buprenorphine and methadone, but as naltrexone is licensed only for use to support relapse prevention, no direct comparison is feasible with the opiate substitute methadone and buprenorphine. The guidelines do support the use of all these drugs as potentially effective opiate misuse treatments when used appropriately. The Department's clinical guidelines are due to be updated in 2006-07 and this will take into account planned guidance on the use of all these drugs due to be published in 2007 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	The Department of Health has asked NICE, within a package of work that they will be undertaking on drug treatment, to carry out a technology appraisal on oral methadone and sublingual buprenorphine as opiate substitute treatments. This appraisal will evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these drugs as substitute opiates for the management of opiate misusers. The Department also asked at the same time for a similar technology appraisal for naltrexone as a treatment for relapse prevention for opiate misuse. This will include appraisal of its clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Both these technology appraisals are scheduled for publication in March 2007.
	All three of these drugs are currently prescribed for management of opiate dependence. Given that the NHS are obliged to implement guidance produced by NICE, the outcome of their work on drug treatment will be an important support in enhancing the effectiveness of drug treatment and in particular substitute prescribing.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in combating the spread of MRSA in hospitals.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 5 July 2006
	Combating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other health care associated infections (HCAIs), continues to be a priority for Government. A target to reduce the number of MRSA bloodstream infections by half by April 2008 is in place and each trust has its own target. The total number of these infections in 2004-05 was 7,212, compared with 7,684 in 2003-04. Figures for 2005-06 will be published later this month.
	All acute trusts have signed up to a Saving Lives package of best practice measures. The Department continues to engage those trusts facing the most significant challenges and it will seek to work with trusts most likely to benefit from support tailored to their organisational needs. Additionally, the Health Act, which received Royal Assent on 19 July, intends through the new code of practice, to give a statutory footing to what is already accepted as best practicethus driving up standards of hygiene and infection control.

Leg Ulcers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans she has to introduce a preventative programme to reduce the prevalence of leg ulcers; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS was of the treatment of leg ulcers in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many people were treated for leg ulcers in England in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what the location is of each specialist leg ulcer clinic in England; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The most common cause of leg ulcers is poor circulation triggered by high blood pressure, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. Obesity and smoking are also known to increase the risk of leg ulcers.
	The Department's preventive programme is aimed at the effective management of these underlying medical conditions through the quality and outcomes framework component of the new general medical services contract for general practices introduced in April 2004, as well as public health campaigns to raise awareness of the health risks associated with smoking and clinical obesity.
	Local health bodies have the responsibility to provide services for the treatment of leg ulcers. The Department does not collect information on the location of specialist leg ulcer clinics.
	Information on the number of people treated for leg ulcers, and the cost of providing this treatment, is not collected.

ME Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take to ensure that primary care trusts continue to provide specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis and encephalopathy services after their reconfiguration in October 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to address specifically the provision of services for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) during the forthcoming reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs).
	The reconfigured PCTs will be expected to provide the same level of health and social care provision as existing trusts. PCTs have the freedom to decide how best to provide health and social care for those with CFS/ME, either in existing services or in a specialist centre.

Ministerial Visits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health service facilities in the geographical area covered by the new strategic health authority for the South West  (a) she and  (b) her Ministers plan to visit; and when.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health plans to visit the geographical area covered by the new strategic health authority for the South West on 25 July 2006. She will visit a number of health facilities (yet to be confirmed) in Shepton Mallet, Cirencester and Bath. The Minister with responsibility for care services will also visit the area in September although specific details are yet to be arranged.

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1558W, on the National Programme for Information Technology, what the total level of savings are which have been achieved by NHS organisations where national programme systems and services have been delivered ahead of time; and in which NHS organisations these savings were achieved.

Caroline Flint: Comprehensive information of the kind requested is not collected centrally. However, the most obvious example of savings of the kind described is when new systems, paid for under the programme, have replaced systems that local national health service bodies have previously been paying for. Across the whole of the NHS, and over the 10-year life of the national programme, these savings will be very substantial. In the case of the local service provider contracts, local savings are expected to offset nearly half the local costs over the lives of the contracts; a saving of some 2.5 billion.
	In the case of picture archiving and communications (PACS) systems, local savings are expected fully to offset the local costs of 684 million. Smaller savings are also expected in other areas, for example, where local NHS bodies use N3 or NHSmail to replace services for which they are currently paying. The business case for NHSmail estimated such savings at 185 million.
	Further savings as a consequence of safety and organisational improvements will also be cash-releasing, and are highlighted in the recent National Audit Office report into the national programme.

NHS Finance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of capital spending against budget for  (a) Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire strategic health authority and  (b) the Cotswold and Vale primary care trust for each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the following table for the years that the organisations have been in existence. The latest year for which information is available is 2004-05.
	
		
			   thousand 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire strategic health authority (SNA)
			 Net capital resource outturn 815 174 201 
			 Capital resource limit 943 186 270 
			 Underspend against capital resource limit 128 12 69 
			 
			  Cotswold and Vale primary care trust (PCT)
			 Charge against the capital resource limit 772 909 417 
			 Capital resource limit 788 1,803 1,272 
			 Underspend against capital resource limit 16 894 855 
			  Sources:  1. Audited summarisation forms of the Avon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire SHA.  2. Audited summarisation schedules of Cotswold and Vale PCT

NHS IT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the efficiency of the roll-out of the NHS IT programme to genito-urinary medicine clinics; what representations she has received on this matter; and what response she has given.

Caroline Flint: National and local systems and services continue to be rolled out across the country in ever-increasing numbers, and every national health service location has already benefited under the national programme from delivery of software, hardware or the broadband connections that enable these to be accessed. We are on track to complete the national programme, as planned, by 2010.
	In parallel with the deployment of national systems, thousands of local systems have now been delivered and serve more than 240,000 users. This includes many acute sector departmental systems supporting clinical specialties, though no systems designed specifically to support genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, or other sexual health services, have yet gone live. We are not aware of any representations specifically on this matter. However, the programme's national Do Once and Share project, under the directorship of Professor Muir Gray, has engaged GUM and other sexual health clinicians, and consulted them on their future information management and technology needs. The results are being shared nationally with the support of the IM and T group of the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV.
	We recognise that it is of enormous importance that systems and services delivered through the national programme should guarantee the very particular information security and confidentiality requirements of patients accessing GUM and sexual health services. Stringent security controls and safeguards have been incorporated to prevent unrestricted or uncontrolled access to personal information. Access is controlled via a unique user identity, involving a pass code and smart card, which can only be obtained on verification of identity and through a formal user registration process.

Osteoporosis

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of  (a) hospital trusts,  (b) primary care trusts,  (c) general practitioner services and  (d) intermediate care services have undertaken medicine utilisation reviews or other medicine review initiatives to ensure patients suffering from osteoporosis are prescribed the most appropriate medicine type and dosage;
	(2)  what consideration her Department has given to the inclusion of osteoporosis in the development of the Life Check scheme;
	(3)  what assessment her Department has made of the merits of nurse-led fracture liaison services to support patients suffering from osteoporosis.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not assessed the merits of nurse-led fracture services to support people living with osteoporosis.
	Information is not held centrally on medicine reviews for patients with specific conditions, including osteoporosis.
	The content of the Life Check assessments at each life stage is yet to be determined and agreed, but will include the major lifestyle risk factors relevant to each life stage, such as smoking, physical activity and diet.

Overview and Scutiny Committees

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 2106W, on overview and scrutiny committees, why hon. Members cannot be co-opted onto OSCs.

Rosie Winterton: As stated in my previous reply, overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) have powers set out in the Local Government Act 2000 to co-opt non-voting members onto OSCs. These co-opted members can be:
	a member of a committee of the county council or another local authority, for the purposes of relevant functions of the committee in relation to the county council; or
	a member of a committee of the county council, for the purposes of relevant functions of the committee in relation to another local authority.
	Therefore, hon. Members cannot be co-opted onto an OSC.

Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions tabled to her Department were awaiting a reply on 10 July 2006; which of those had been waiting longer than  (a) two and  (b) three weeks for a reply; and what the reason for the delay was in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The available information is as follows.
	As at 17 July, 13,280 parliamentary questions have been tabled this session on Department of Health matters. Some 573 were awaiting answer, of which 21 were outstanding for more than two weeks but less than three weeks, and 68 for more than three weeks. We aim to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and endeavour to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but this Department makes every effort to achieve these time scales.

Pre-CSR Report

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with  (a) the Treasury and  (b) the Cabinet Office regarding the pre-comprehensive spending review report; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health has had and will continue to have wide-ranging and regular discussions with the Chief Secretary about preparations for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, as a matter of key importance to the Department's medium and long-term planning.

Smoking

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of fine will be imposed on individual licensees in England and Wales for not enforcing the smoking ban in their public houses; and what research her Department has undertaken on the level of fines in other jurisdictions.

Caroline Flint: Penalties for offences within chapter 1, part 1 of the Health Bill, on smoke-free premises, places and vehicles, will be set out in regulations.
	Through the passage of the Health Bill, Ministers have clearly set out the Government's intentions for fine levels for offences under smoke-free legislation, and propose that a person who is found guilty of an offence under clause 8 of the Health Bill (offence of failing to prevent smoking in a smoke-free place) will be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level four on the standard scale.
	The levels of penalties for offences under chapter 1, part 1 of the Health Bill were the subject of public consultation in 2005, as part of the Consultation on the smoke-free elements of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill published by the Department.
	Proposals for levels of penalties reflect the feedback from this consultation process, as well as advice received from other bodies including the Home Office.
	Proposed penalties for the offence of failing to prevent smoking in a smoke-free place are consistent with those in Scotland's smoke-free legislation, with the exception that a penalty notice for this offence can be issued by an authorised officer of an enforcement authority in Scotland.

Speech Therapy

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on speech and language therapy services in the London borough of Bexley; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No representations have been received by my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on speech and language therapy services in the London borough of Bexley.

TREASURY

Demographics

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the population of Peterborough was in each year between 1997 and 2005; what the population is estimated to be in 2006; and what estimate has been made of future population trends.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what the population of Peterborough was in each year between 1997 and 2005; what the population is estimated to be in 2006; and what estimate has been made of the future population trends. (85994)
	Mid-2005 population estimates for England and Wales are due to be published on 24 August 2006. The attached table therefore provides the requested data for the years 1997 to 2004 and 2003-based projections for 2005 and 2006. In addition, projections for 2007 to 2028 are also shown to indicate the future projected trend.
	
		
			  Mid-year population estimates and projections for Peterborough 
			   Number 
			  Population Estimates  
			 1997 156,400 
			 1998 155,900 
			 1999 156,500 
			 2000 156,600 
			 2001 157,400 
			 2002 157,600 
			 2003 158,800 
			 2004 159,100 
			   
			  Population Projections( 1)  
			 2005 160,300 
			 2006 161,000 
			 2007 161,800 
			 2008 162,600 
			 2009 163,400 
			 2010 164,300 
			 2011 165,100 
			 2012 166,000 
			 2013 167,000 
			 2014 167,900 
			 2015 168,800 
			 2016 169,800 
			 2017 170,700 
			 2018 171,600 
			 2019 172,600 
			 2020 173,500 
			 2021 174,400 
			 2022 175,300 
			 2023 176,100 
			 2024 176,900 
			 2025 177,700 
			 2026 178,500 
			 2027 179,300 
			 2028 180,000 
			 (1) The population projections data shown are taken from the 2003-based subnational population projections, the latest set of projections currently available. Therefore they may not be consistent with the 2004 mid-year estimate.   Note: Data are rounded to the nearest 100.   Source: Office for National Statistics.

Electronic Auctions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) procedure and  (b) criteria were used to add suppliers to the list of electronic auction framework agreements by the Office of Government Commerce; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the developing market in intellectual copyright related to electronic auctions.

John Healey: The electronic reverse auctions framework agreements were awarded in accordance with the restricted procedure as set out in the EC procurement directives, using the most economically advantageous tender criterion.
	No suppliers have been added to the list of those awarded electronic auction framework agreements. No recent assessments have been made of the market for intellectual property rights in the functionality of software that enables reverse auction services.

FSA Fines

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the money collected by the Financial Services Authority in fines is allocated.

Edward Balls: The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) provides that penalties levied on firms are allocated to the fee-block or blocks to which the activities relatefee blocks group fee payers conducting similar activities. This ensures that the costs of undertaking enforcement actions are matched, as far as possible, with any penalties they might generate.
	FSMA sets out that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) must not take account of any sums it has received, or may receive, by way of penalties when fixing the level of its fees. This means that the FSA does not take financial penalties into account when calculating the level of its annual funding requirement and the fee rates resulting from the AFR. Neither does the FSA treat financial penalties as incomerather, they are a liability owed to fee payers.
	The FSA's rules in this area were set out in a policy statement in May (see annex 4 in particular): http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/policy/ps06_03.pdf

Household Incomes

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the  (a) median and  (b) mean gross household income was in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the lower limit of the top decile for gross household earnings was in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking what the (a) median and (b) mean gross household income was in the latest year available and what the lower limit of the top decile is for gross household earnings for the latest year (85778, 85779).
	These estimates are based on the ONS analyses The effects of taxes and benefits on household income which is published annually. The latest analysis for 2004/05 was published on the National Statistics website on 12th May 2006 at http:// www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. It is based on the Expenditure and Food Survey, which has a sample covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK. The analysis for 2005/06 is due to be published on the National Statistics website in May 2007.
	Gross incomes include income from employment, self-employment, pensions, investment income, and cash benefits. The median gross household income in 2004/05 was 24,700 per year. The mean household gross income (which appears in table 14, appendix 1) was 31,884 per year.
	Analyses of the distribution of household income are based on equivalised household incomes. These equivalised incomes are standardised to take into account the different size and composition of households. The lower limit of the top decile for equivalised household gross income in 2004/05 was 53,239 per year.
	Separate figures are published on the earnings of employees although they are not directly comparable with these figures on household income, which cover all sources of income (not just income from employment) and all households in the population.

Life Expectancy

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average life expectancy was in  (a) 1994 and  (b) 2004 in each country in the UK, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) health board area; and what projections for average life expectancy are in each area in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what average life expectancy was in (a) 1994 and (b) 2004 in each country in the UK, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) health board area; and what projections for average life expectancy are in each area in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044. (86586)
	Figures on life expectancy at birth for males and females at national and sub-national level are published annually by ONS based on three-year rolling averages. Results from 1991-93 to 2002-04, are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8841
	Period and cohort life expectancies at birth and five-yearly age intervals for the years 1981 to 2054 for the United Kingdom and its constituent countries, calculated using historic mortality rates and projected mortality rates from 2004-based national population projections, can be accessed from the GAD website at:
	http://www.gad.gov.uk/Life_Tables/Period_and_cohort_eol.htm
	An explanation of period and cohort expectations of life is also available on the GAD website. Sub-national life expectancy projections are not available.

Life Expectancy

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average life expectancy was in  (a) 1994 and  (b) 2004 in each country in the UK, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) health board area; and what projections for average life expectancy are in each area in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what average life expectancy was in (a) 1994 and (b) 2004 in each country in the UK, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) health board area; and what projections for average life expectancy are in each area in (A) 2024, (B) 2034 and (C) 2044. (86587)
	Figures on life expectancy at birth for males and females at national and sub-national level are published annually by ONS based on three-year rolling averages. Results from 1991-1993 to 2002-2004, are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Productasp?vlnk=8841
	Period and cohort life expectancies at birth and five-yearly age intervals for the years 1981 to 2054 for the United Kingdom and its constituent countries, calculated using historic mortality rates and projected mortality rates from 2004-based national population projections, can be accessed from the GAD website at:
	http://www.gad.gov.uk/Life_Tables/Period_and_cohort_eol.htm
	An explanation of period and cohort expectations of life is also available on the GAD website. Sub-national life expectancy projections are not available.

Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team has been disbanded; and what its replacement is.

Dawn Primarolo: The intelligence arm of HM Revenue and Customs was re-organised in early 2006 to create a national structure focused on key risk areas. This involved the re-forming of teams, including the Maritime and Aviation Intelligence Team. The staff and their expertise have been retained, in teams that focus on risks posed by different types of transport, and in teams that deal with intelligence gathered from local sources of information.

Oil Prices

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effects his Department's econometric model predicts of a sustained $10 per barrel rise in the world oil price in each of the five subsequent years compared with a base forecast on  (a) gross domestic products (GDP),  (b) GDP growth,  (c) consumer price inflation,  (d) the unemployment rate,  (e) the employment rate,  (f) Government borrowing as a percentage of GDP,  (g) policy interest rates,  (h) balance of trade as a percentage of GDP,  (i) the current account of the balance of payments as a percentage of GDP,  (j) public debt at end year as a percentage of GDP,  (k) the effective exchange rate and  (l) the real effective exchange rate; and what other economic assumptions are made in each case.

John Healey: The effects on the UK economy of a sustained $10 rise in oil prices would depend on the factors driving oil pricesfor example, the extent to which prices increased due to demand pressures or supply constraints.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget that, because of continuing oil market volatility, the annual inflation-only increase in main fuel duties would be deferred until 1 September 2006.
	Oil has been trading in recent weeks in a range of $66-$78 per barrel. The risk of oil price volatility remains high, and the Government will not therefore go ahead with the planned inflation-only increase in main road fuel duties on 1 Septemberand related increases for rebated oils, biofuels and road fuel gasesand will review the position again at the time of the pre-Budget report.

Parliamentary Questions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will provide a substantive answer to question 82306 on visits to Malawi tabled for named day answer on 4 July by the hon. Member for Mid Sussex.

John Healey: I answered the hon. Gentleman's question on 17 July 2006.

Red Diesel (Marine Vehicles)

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made with negotiations on the derogation from the EU directive on the use of red diesel by marine vehicles.

John Healey: As required under the energy products directive, the European Commission issued a communication on 4 July stating its position on derogations due to expire at the end of this year, and noting that member states may apply under the normal procedures for renewal of derogations. As announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Budget, the UK will be submitting an application for renewal of the derogation enabling pleasure boats to use red diesel. This application will be informed by the case that the Government set out in the partial RIA published at the Budget and is continuing to build with the cooperation of the boating industry.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit award notices have been issued in each month since July 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Award notices are issued at the following points in the tax credits cycle:
	An initial award notice, following a successful claim.
	An amended award notice when a claimant notifies HMRC of a change of circumstances or income during a year.
	A finalised award notice following the completion of the renewal process.
	Where payments are continuing following a finalised award for one year, an award notice is issued to advise of the provisional payments HMRC will be making for the subsequent year.
	Award notices issued each month since July 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			   Award notices issued 
			  2005  
			 July 3,388,000 
			 August 3,698,000 
			 September 4,340,1600 
			 October 3,423,000 
			 November 2,007,000 
			 December 2,467,000 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 2,276,000 
			 February 2,923,000 
			 March 1,697,000 
			 April 1,118,000 
			 May 4,515,000

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the overpayment of tax credits in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06 was due to software and other computer problems; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For 2003-04 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him and the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) on 27 October 2005,  Official Report, columns 496-497W.
	For 2004-05 I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Inland Revenue 2004-05 Accounts published on 10 October 2005 which are available on the internet at: www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/ir-report2005.pdf
	Information for 2005-06 is not yet available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many interviews at home about tax credit fraud have been carried out by claimant compliance officers in each quarter since April 2002;
	(2)  how many face-to-face interviews for Living Together as Husband and Wife tax credit claims have been held in each quarter by claimant compliance officers since April 2002.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 31 January 2006,  Official Report, column 413W to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn).

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the pre-payment automated risk rules in the tax credits system.

Dawn Primarolo: All tax credit claims are subject to an automated risk assessment process which looks at the features of a claim against known risks. These risk rules work in combination to identify those claims that are high risk and require further consideration, with the highest risk cases looked at by a compliance team who may undertake a full compliance examination before an award is made.
	It would be inappropriate to give specific details as this could aid those seeking to gain through fraud.

Tax Credits

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list in date order the written ministerial statements on tax credits which have been made since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Written ministerial statements made by Treasury Ministers, and indeed oral statements and other announcements made in the House of Commons, are a matter of public record.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent press officers the Valuation Office Agency employed in 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2005-06 the Valuation Office Agency employed the equivalent of one full-time press officer to deal with media inquiries

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Prize Money

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will introduce legislation making it illegal for sporting bodies in the UK to award prize moneys that are different for men and women.

Meg Munn: The Government are committed to promoting equality between women and men, but there are no plans to introduce legislation on this specific issue. A review of Great Britain's discrimination law is currently under way, covering the Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act. We will publish our findings around the turn of the year.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

British Democracy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what form her response to Power to the People: An Independent Inquiry into Britain's Democracy will take.

Bridget Prentice: The response to this report took the form of Baroness Ashton's speech at the House of Lords debate on the Power Inquiry on 15 June 2006.

Deportation Appeals

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals against deportation orders to Asylum and Immigration Tribunals have been made in each year since their creation; in how many appeals the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal allowed the appeal; and in how many cases where the appeal was allowed the Home Office appealed that decision.

Bridget Prentice: The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) does not currently collate information on the volume of appeals it receives from notices of intent to deport, the number of these appeals allowed nor the number of allowed appeals where the Home Office applies for the Tribunal to reconsider its decision.
	Checks made with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home Office confirm that this type of information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

Deportation Appeals

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  in how many cases before Asylum and Immigration Tribunals applications for bail pending termination of the appeal were made in each of the last five years; and in how many cases where a bail application had been made pending a deportation order the Home Office opposed the application for bail in each of the last five years;
	(2)  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases before asylum and immigration tribunals applications were made for bail pending termination of the appeal in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: Information shows that in each of the last five financial years the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) and its predecessor the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) received the following volume of bail applications:
	
		
			   Number of applications 
			 2005-06 4,144 
			 2004-05 2,711 
			 2003-04 2,135 
			 2002-03 2,236 
			 2001-02 3,093 
		
	
	The AIT does not collate information on the volume of bail applications arising from particular appeal types nor the number of applications opposed by the Home Office. Such information could be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs.

Electoral Review

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what opportunities there will be for public consultation and involvement following the publication of her Department's Review of Electoral Systems;
	(2)  what the next stage of the Government's electoral reform policy will be following the publication of the review of electoral systems;
	(3)  whether her Department's review of electoral systems will be placed in the public domain.

Bridget Prentice: The DCA internal review of voting systems introduced for the devolved administrations, the European Parliament and London Assembly elections being conducted by officials within my Department is under way. The review is desk based and is examining a range of existing publications and materials. Any decisions on next steps including publication and consultation will be taken in due course.

Electoral Review

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  when her Department's review of electoral systems is expected to report;
	(2)  what progress has been made with her Department's Review of Electoral Systems.

Bridget Prentice: Work is ongoing on the Department's internal review of voting systems of the new electoral systems introduced for the devolved Administrations (the Northern Ireland Assembly, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Parliament), the European Parliament and Greater London Assembly. Decisions on any next steps will be taken in due course.

Electoral Review

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what form her review of electoral systems took; and what evidence was submitted by interested organisations.

Bridget Prentice: The Department for Constitutional Affairs internal review of voting systems is desk based and is examining a range of existing publications and materials. No submissions have been sought.

Youth Court

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many 10 to 17 year olds have appeared at the youth court in Lancashire in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of 10 to 17 year olds prosecuted for all offences at youth courts in Lancashire from 1997 to 2004 are provided in the table.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of people aged 10 to 17 prosecuted for all offences in the Lancashire youth courts, from 1997 to 2004( 1) 
			   Proceeded against 
			 1997 3,808 
			 1998 4,037 
			 1999 4,061 
			 2000 4,635 
			 2001 4,743 
			 2002 5,156 
			 2003 4,805 
			 2004 4,080 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.   Source:  RDSOffice for Criminal Justice Reform.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress the Government are making in reducing cost overruns and delays in its IT projects; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Like Governments in all major economies, the Government are investing in IT on a large scale to improve services to the public and to ensure they are more focused on the needs of service users.
	The Transformational Government Strategy published last November included a number of changes to improve performance management of IT projects.
	These include:
	strengthened scrutiny of the most important programmes, including the appointment of Non Executive Directors to their Boards;
	the establishment of the Government IT profession; and
	closer work with the IT industry association to improve supplier performance in Government IT contracts.

Voluntary Workers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment she has made of the proportion of people who do voluntary work; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The recently published Citizenship survey confirms that there are increased numbers of adults volunteering regularly, 20.4 million in 2005 compared to 18.4 million in 2001. There is also increased Government investment in the volunteering infrastructure68 million in 2007-08 compared to 17 million in 1997-08.

Disadvantaged People

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she is taking to combat pockets of disadvantage.

Hilary Armstrong: The Government have made substantial progress on tackling social exclusion. This has, however, made the most excluded stand out even more starkly.
	I am, therefore, spearheading a renewed drive across Government to address the most socially excluded in our society and will be publishing an action plan in the autumn setting out how we plan to address some of the remaining, deep-seated, exclusion.

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the floor space is of the new Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 26 Whitehall.

Edward Miliband: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister occupies 389 m(2 )of office space in 26 Whitehall.

Official Residence

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will place in the Library a copy of the Cabinet Office contract for the maintenance of the official residences in Admiralty House.

Edward Miliband: The contract is a legal document and is covered by a commercial confidentiality clause, which prevents its publication.

Official Residence

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on the Old Admiralty Building on  (a) security,  (b) utilities,  (c) facilities management and  (d) general maintenance in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent 465,106 on utilities, 241,875 on facilities management and 646,185 on general maintenance for the Old Admiralty Building in financial year 2005-06. The security measures in force at the Old Admiralty Building are reviewed regularly to ensure they are commensurate with the threat; the costs are kept under review.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last used the London Underground in connection with his official duties.

John Prescott: My duties frequently involve travel around the country and for this purpose I use public transport on a regular, weekly basis. I last used the London Underground in connection with official duties towards the end of last year.

Ministerial Travel

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his office has chartered aircraft in connection with his official duties since 5 May 2006.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	All my overseas travel costing over 500 will be accounted for in the annual list, which will be disclosed to Parliament in the usual way.

Gambling

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what role he has in relation to Government policy on gambling and planning.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) today at column 302.

Defence

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to oversee the efficient development of defence policy.

John Prescott: I play a full and active part in discussions on these matters in Cabinet and the relevant Cabinet Committees.

Post Office

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to secure the future of the Post Office network.

John Prescott: As the hon. Member may be aware, I chair the Cabinet Committee on the future of the Post Office network.
	The Government remain committed to a viable Post Office network, and to ensuring that communities have access to the services they need, including Post Office services. That is why we have committed 300 million over the period 2006-08 to support the rural network, on top of 450 million in 2003-05.

Equal Pay

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to co-ordinate Government policy on equal pay across the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

John Prescott: This important issue has been considered recently by a Cabinet Committee, which I chair. I am working to ensure the necessary action is taken across Departments, to add to the action we have already taken since 1997 to combat all forms of discrimination.

Departmental Budget

Paul Beresford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 787W, on the departmental budget, in which Department's annual report his office will be included.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	My own.

Ministerial Office and Staff

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 788-89W, on his ministerial office and staff, what percentage of the staff in his private office is  (a) female and  (b) from ethnic minorities.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	Where the information requested results in figures of less than five this is not released in order to protect the privacy of individuals.

Websites

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) of 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 2131W, on websites, what the budget is for the creation of his new website; and whether the website is being constructed using  (a) civil service staff and  (b) external contractors.

John Prescott: Expenditure will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts, in the usual way. The website is being constructed by civil servants.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Competent Persons Scheme

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 754W, on the competent persons scheme, what delays have been caused to the competent persons scheme by the absence of officials; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Seventeen new competent person schemes came into operation following the publication of the Building and Approved Inspectors (Amendment) Regulations 2006 on 6 April 2006.
	There has been a delay in issuing authorisations for these schemes. Officials met the Competent Persons Forum on 11 July to discuss authorisations and will meet with those directly affected to seek to resolve the issues on Monday 17 July.

Council Tax

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of properties in  (a) Northumberland county council,  (b) Cornwall county council,  (c) Shropshire county council and  (d) Cumbria county council are in each council tax band.

Phil Woolas: The numbers of dwellings liable for council tax in Cornwall, Cumbria, Northumberland, and Shropshire county councils as at 19 September 2005 and in each council tax band are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Council tax band 
			   A-  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  Total 
			  Cornwall   
			 Caradon 16 6,801 10,496 8,020 6,012 3,990 1,235 474 23 37,067 
			 Carrick 14 6,863 9,275 9,463 6,708 4,640 2,090 1,126 110 40,289 
			 Kerrier 14 11,503 10,537 9,132 5,722 2,775 964 426 28 41,101 
			 North Cornwall 23 8,885 8,158 7,234 7,272 4,680 1,504 748 36 38,540 
			 Penwith 3 7,182 8,801 6,246 5,111 2,503 962 285 8 31,101 
			 Restormel 23 10,871 11,245 9,220 6,476 3,050 1,062 459 15 42,421 
			 Total for Cornwall 93 52,105 58,512 49,315 37,301 21,638 7,817 3,518 220 230,519 
			
			  Cumbria   
			 Allerdale 29 21,236 6,720 6,446 4,756 2,570 1,008 457 18 43,240 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 44 18,687 5,373 4,384 2,112 858 223 71 3 31,755 
			 Carlisle 42 20,915 10,233 6,408 4,640 2,330 905 308 23 45,804 
			 Copeland 75 18,544 4,138 3,710 2,804 1,510 379 85 10 31,255 
			 Eden 7 3,749 6,400 4,878 4,324 2,949 955 382 34 23,678 
			 South Lakeland 7 4,098 10,032 11,495 9,441 6,868 4,508 2,843 256 49,548 
			 Total for Cumbria 204 87,229 42,896 37,321 28,077 17,085 7,978 4,146 344 225,280 
			
			  Northumberland   
			 Alnwick 15 5,289 2,801 2,175 1,985 1,526 864 384 43 15,082 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 13 6,709 2,265 1,779 1,291 823 461 240 26 13,607 
			 Blyth Valley 65 21,798 6,267 3,784 2,346 955 126 42 9 35,392 
			 Castle Morpeth 15 5,952 2,465 3,151 2,934 2,491 2,390 1,463 147 21,008 
			 Tynedale 15 7,877 4,273 4,165 3,485 2,750 1,850 1,382 129 25,926 
			 Wansbeck 98 19,051 3,566 2,306 1,762 501 112 70 4 27,470 
			 Total for Northumberland 221 66,676 21,637 17,360 13,803 9,046 5,803 3,581 358 138,485 
			
			  Shropshire   
			 Bridgnorth 17 3,220 4,604 5,238 2,849 2,245 2,089 1,327 118 21,707 
			 North Shropshire 13 4,480 6,181 4,431 3,753 3,184 1,643 737 38 24,460 
			 Oswestry 15 4,935 4,311 2,743 2,498 1,464 321 122 11 16,420 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 24 7,094 13,023 9,660 5,551 3,490 1,613 1,193 61 41,709 
			 South Shropshire 12 3,190 3,871 3,756 3,424 2,787 1,367 581 38 19,026 
			 Total for Shropshire 81 22,919 31,990 25,828 18,075 13,170 7,033 3,960 266 123,322 
		
	
	The data are as reported by local authorities on the annual CTB1 return. Dwellings that are subject to the Council Tax (Reductions for Disabilities) Regulations 1992, as amended, are charged council tax at the rate of one band lower than that on the Valuation Office valuation list. Council tax for a Band A dwelling is charged at 5/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling; Band A dwellings are charged at 6/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling.

Departmental Premises (Security Guards)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly employed illegal immigrants as security guards.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not employed illegal immigrants either directly or indirectly as security guards.

Environmental Regulations

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched new sustainable operations targets for the Government estate on 12 June.
	The new targets included a commitment that all Government Departments should have an environmental management system (EMS) in place, based, or modelled upon, a recognised system, such as ISO 14001, or the European regulation EMAS.
	Previous target for EMSs for the Government estate, published in September 2002, had the same wording as the recently announced commitment.
	Some 82 per cent. of the Department of Communities and Local Government staff, including executive agencies, work in three properties that are covered by an environmental management system (EMS) that have certified accreditation to ISO 14001:2004. Our other four significant buildings have an EMS in place and are working towards ISO 14001 accreditation.
	In the small propertiesin Barton, Glossop, Garston and Bootlewhere it is considered that an EMS is not economically viable, the Department has worked with their local authority to minimise their environmental impact.
	This answer does not include properties occupied by Government offices, which carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

House Prices

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average house price was in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Estimates of average house prices at local authority level, including each London borough, are available back to 1996 and are on Land Registry data. The figures for 1996 to 2005 are available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website as Table 585.
	The web link for the information is:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/159/Table585_id1156159.xls

Housing

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what public funds are available to improve energy efficiency standards for new housing built under the sustainable communities programme.

Angela Smith: The Government are committed to improving energy efficiency in all housing. The new Buildings Regulations Part L, taken with changes to strengthen the building regulations in 2002 and 2005, will improve energy efficiency standards by 40 per cent. from April 2002 levels. The new draft code for sustainable homes will also raise the environmental standard of housing further and will signal the future direction of building regulations.
	To achieve the higher levels of housing growth set out in the sustainable communities plan new homes must be built in a sustainable way to reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint. We have already committed around 400 million to the development of the three growth areas and 850 million for the Thames Gateway up to March 2008. This is to deliver on all aspects of a sustainable community, including environmental performance.

Identity Cards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance the Government has given to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) local authorities on the collection and the use of biometric identification for the provision of local authority services.

Phil Woolas: The Government have given no guidance to  (a) local education authorities or  (b) local authorities on the collection and use of biometric identification for the provision of local services.

Council Targets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to reduce the number of targets set for councils by central Government.

Angela Smith: The forthcoming comprehensive spending review will set public service agreements for delivery of public services. We are currently considering arrangements for the development of a new performance framework local government including the role of targets. We intend that further details of this will be reflected in the local government White Paper to be published after recess.
	In the meantime, we are setting up a Lifting Burdens Task Force, which will identify and agree removal of the most burdensome and least value indicators and information requirements imposed by central Government.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what analysis will be undertaken prior to the allocation of funding to local authorities in 2007-08 of the impact on services provision of the immigration to the UK of people from accession countries in the EU since May 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government uses population data provided by the Office for National Statistics. These are the best data available on a consistent basis for all authorities. The formula grant distribution system was changed for 2006-07 and 2007-08 to take into account population projections. The projections includes net migration in local authority areas.

Outsourcing

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what administrative functions for which her Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment she has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas.

Angela Smith: No administrative functions for which the Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible have been outsourced overseas. No assessment has therefore been made of the merits of outsourcing such functions.

Post Office Contracts

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for which services  (a) her Department and  (b) its associated public bodies hold contracts with the Post Office; and what the (i) start and (ii) termination date is of each contract.

Angela Smith: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Contracts 
			  (a) DCLG Centre No contracts 
			   
			  (b) DCLG Executive agencies  
			 Planning Inspectorate (1) 
			 Fire Service College (1) 
			 Queen Elizabeth 2 Conference Centre (1) 
			   
			  Executive non-departmental public bodies  
			 Audit Commission No contracts 
			 Standards Board for England No contracts 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service The Leasehold Advisory Service have two contracts with the Post Office; as follows: 
			  Mail Re-direction 
			  (i) Start 21 October 2005 
			  (ii) End 21 October 2006 
			  Mail Collection (from business premises) 
			  (i) Start January 2006 
			  (ii) Ongoing 
			 Housing Action TrustCastle Vale (2) 
			 Housing Action TrustLiverpool (2) 
			 Housing Action TrustStonebridge No contracts 
			 Housing Corporation No contracts 
			 London Thames Gateway Development Corp. No contracts 
			 Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corp. No contracts 
			 West Northamptonshire Development Corp. No contracts 
			 Firebuy No contracts 
			 English Partnerships No contracts 
			 Independent Housing Ombudsman No contracts 
			 Architects Registration Board The board has one contract with the Post Office to collect mail. 
			  (i) Start 2003 
			  (ii) Ongoing 
			   
			  Non-departmental public bodiestribunals  
			 Northern Rent Assessment Panel (3) 
			 Midland Rent Assessment Panel (3) 
			 Eastern Rent Assessment Panel (3) 
			 Southern Rent Assessment Panel (3) 
			 London Rent Assessment Panel (3) 
			 (1) DCLG's Executive agencies report no contracts.  (2) Castle Vale and Liverpool Housing Action Trusts have been wound up so provision of data are disproportionate.  (3) The Rent Assessment Panels report no contracts.

Business Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of documents relating to the attendance of the head of the rating policy team at the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation conference on post revaluation and current issues on maintaining the business rates system in Blackpool on 11 to 12 May 2006.

Phil Woolas: A copy of the slides for the presentation entitled business ratespost revaluation and current issues, given to this conference by the head of the business rates team in my Department are on the internet at:-
	http://www.inr.tv/conference/enforcement/qwertyuiop/Speakers_Slides_CollEnf06_v1.pdf and copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what is the timetable for the opening of regional fire control centres in  (a) the East Midlands and  (b) each of the other areas due to have such centres.

Angela Smith: It is currently forecast that the East Midlands Regional Control Centre will open in financial year 2008-09. A two-three year phased rollout will then follow for the remaining Centres. The roll out schedule will be finalised with the IT supplier, once appointed.

Sheltered Housing

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Supporting People initiative for older people living in sheltered housing; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Supporting People is a programme that enables the local funding and provision of housing-related support services that help people to continue or move towards living independently in their own home and in the community. Through the programme, support is provided to a broad range of vulnerable groups and through a variety of service types.
	Assessments to date of Supporting People, as carried out by the Audit Commission, have looked at either the programme as a whole or at the operation of the programme in specific local authorities. As such, there has been no specific assessment to date that looks only at the effectiveness of Supporting People for older people in sheltered housing. However, the Audit Commission's national report on Supporting People, issued in October 2005, concluded that the introduction of the programme has resulted in improved services for many vulnerable people.

Water Shortages

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made by the  (a) Valuation Office Agency and  (b) Valuation Tribunal Service of whether a water shortage or drought may represent a physical change in infrastructure to a business that is dependent on water for its business and thereby affects its valuation and liability for business rates; and what guidance has been published.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows:
	 (a) the Valuation Office Agency provided written guidance in June to its valuation officers on whether the present water shortage and measures that have or may be introduced can affect rateable values. The Valuation Office Agency's advice is that the imposition of drought orders is a legal change that may restrict the ability to use a property and this should be regarded as a matter affecting the physical enjoyment of the property. Whether this will affect the valuation will depend on the individual circumstances of any particular property. It is unlikely that the drought itself constitutes a physical change to a property's locality or infrastructure.
	 (b) the Valuation Tribunal Service has made no assessment on the impact of water restrictions on liability or valuations. Valuation tribunals are charged with determining rateable values on appeal when ratepayers and valuation officers disagree. Whether water restrictions impact on valuations is a matter for individual valuation tribunals to consider on the evidence presented in any particular case.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol-related Crime

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol-related crimes have  (a) been reported and  (b) resulted in convictions in Leicester, broken down by local government ward area in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: From the information collected centrally, it is not possible to identify those offences which are alcohol-related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in either the recorded crime or court proceedings data series.

Animal Welfare

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many White Papers were published by his Department in 2005; how many included an animal health or welfare component; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: My Department published 11 White Papers in the Command papers series during the calendar year 2005 and was lead author on two other jointly produced White Papers. A complete list of these has been provided to the Library .
	Of these 13 White Papers one, Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals : Great Britain 2004, related to animal health or welfare.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been  (a) issued and  (b) breached in each local authority area in each year since their introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A table giving the number of Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued annually, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, where prohibitions have been imposed in each local Government authority area, up to 30 September 2005 (latest available), can be found on the Crime Reduction website at: www.crimereduction.gov.uk.
	ASBO breach data are available at criminal justice system area level only.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people issued with antisocial behaviour orders have broken the terms of their conditions in each constituency in England since the scheme was introduced.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available in the form requested.

Bail Hostels

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1324W, on bail hostels, if he will take steps to ensure that the type of offences committed by offenders residing at an approved premises on a given date is collected centrally.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Consideration has been given on a number of occasions to the case for collecting centrally data on the type of offences committed by offenders residing at approved premises. Certain offenders are placed in approved premises, where they can be closely monitored by offender managers and by staff in approved premises. Since offenders are managed locally, it is appropriate that local offender managers should have comprehensive information on offenders, including the type of offence they have committed, it remains my view, therefore, that it is neither necessary, nor a prudent use of resources, for us to collect centrally data on the type of offence committed by residents in approved premises.

Chief Inspector of Prisons

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will  (a) review his decision to abolish the post of Chief Inspector of Prisons and  (b) retain the present incumbent in post.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Part 4 of the Police and Justice Bill, currently before Parliament, will replace the existing five Chief Inspectors for the justice sector (police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts administration, prisons and probation) with a single Chief Inspector for Justice, Community Safety and Custody. We consider this reform essential to reflect recent reforms in the services inspected and to provide an inspection regime that is able to look more effectively at the system as a whole, especially at the joins where activities of agencies interface.
	We recognise the special nature and importance of prisons inspection in safeguarding human rights. We have therefore placed a special and separate duty on the new Chief Inspector to inspect prisons and other similar forms of custody and report to the responsible Ministers on the treatment of prisoners and the conditions in prisons. This duty continues and enhances the present statutory role of the Chief Inspector of Prisons.
	Transitional arrangements will ensure that the new Chief Inspector will not take over the prisons inspection duty from the Chief Inspector of Prisons until Ministers are quite satisfied that he or she is ready to do so effectively. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has recently extended the appointment of the present Chief Inspector of Prisons until April 2008.
	We have, however, acknowledged concerns raised by the Joint Committee on Human Rights and expect to table some amendments to the Bill to address them.

Commercial Vehicle Drivers

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions there were of and  (b) fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of commercial vehicles in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 July 2006
	Information collected centrally by the Home Department on motoring offences does not distinguish between the characteristics of the vehicles involved.

Community Police Officers

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the initiative of distributing in areas of high crime key fobs bearing the name, photograph and contact details of community police officers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 18 July 2006
	The Home Office is committed to having neighbourhood policing teams embedded in every area in England and Wales by April 2008. As part of this, every member of the community will know how to contact their local neighbourhood policing teamwhether officer, PCSO or other staffby phone or by e-mail.
	How this commitment is delivered is an operational matter for chief constables; the Home Office does not therefore intend to prescribe how police forces should publicise the contact details of local neighbourhood policing officers. The important thing is that people know how to contact their local officers and that they can do it quickly and easily.

Community Support Officers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of police community support officers in assisting regular police officers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The effectiveness of police community support officers (PCSOs) is evaluated in An Evaluation of the Impact of the National Reassurance Policing Programme and A National Evaluation of Community Support Officers which were published on 26 January 2006. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
	PCSOs are deployed with police officers in a team-based approach to deliver neighbourhood policing. They assist police officers and exercise their own role through regular patrolling, community engagement and tackling low-level crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB). This allows police officers to tackle more serious criminal behaviour. The evaluation shows that PCSOs have been well received by the public.

Consultants

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Identity and Passport Service on consultants working on (i) identity cards, (ii) e-passports and (iii) identity management in each of the last four years; and how much has been spent on each category in 2006-07.

Joan Ryan: Expenditure on consultancies by the Home Office and the United Kingdom Passport Service (up to 31 March 2006) and the Identity and Passport Service (from 1 April 2006) was as follows:
	
		
			  000 
			   Identity cards (includes identity management)  e-passports 
			 2003-04 232 467 
			 2004-05 9,207 1,752 
			 2005-06 21,148 2,319 
			 2006-07 (April to June) 4,764 371

Convictions

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been convicted of  (a) rape and  (b) sexual assault under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each constituency in England since the introduction of the Act;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted of common assault under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 in each constituency in England since the introduction of the Act;
	(3)  how many people have been convicted of inflicting bodily injury under section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 in each constituency in England in the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many people have been convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 in each constituency in England in the last four years;
	(5)  how many people have been convicted of being drunk and disorderly in each constituency in England in each month of the last two years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: It is not possible to identify the number of convictions for the offences specified, broken down by constituency area as the data are not centrally collected at that level of detail.
	The offence of being drunk and disorderly can attract a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND), however PND data are also not available at constituency level.

Criminal Records Bureau

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases the Criminal Records Bureau has wrongly reported that a person has a criminal record in each year since its inception; on how many occasions in each year such cases related to offences involving children, broken down by offence; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 507W.
	Information is not available to provide the number of occasions in each year such cases involved children, broken down by offence. Such information could be provided only by conducting an individual case search against the Police National Computer (PNC) and at disproportionate cost.

Custody

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are taken to liaise with the families of children and young adults in custody in order to better assess their vulnerability and risk of self-harm or suicide.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the Youth Justice Board's National Standards, youth offending teams have a duty to involve parents in the completion of the ASSET assessment form and pre-sentence report that must be compiled on a young person under 18 who appears in court. If the young person is sentenced to custody, there is a requirement under the national standards for parents to be invited to participate in the training planning process. Establishments are also required to consult and inform parents during the young person's stay is custody.
	The Prison Service requires that local suicide and self-harm prevention strategies should set out procedures relating to receiving, recording and passing information coming into the establishment from families, agencies and other parties outside the establishment who have a concern for a person in custody who may be at risk of suicide or self-harm. Prison Service staff are encouraged to involve families in the care planning of at-risk prisoners.

Custody

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the approved methods of restraint are for children and young adults in custody; what safety instructions are issued to prison officers; how many incidents of harm resulting from unauthorised restraint have been recorded in the past five years; how many officers have been subject to disciplinary action arising from restraint incidents; and if he will review current practice.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The method of restraint authorised for use in young offender institutions is known as Control and Restraint. All prison officers receive initial training and annual refresher training in the use of Control and Restraint. The method of restraint approved for use in secure training centres is known as Physical Control in Care. Custody officers in secure training centres receive initial training and at least annual refresher training in these techniques. Secure children's homes are responsible for commissioning their own physical restraint training; these methods are not subject to approval by the Secretary of State. Full information on the number of incidents of harm resulting from unauthorised restraint, and on officers subject to disciplinary action arising from restraint incidents, is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Youth Justice Board has undertaken a wide-ranging review of behaviour management and the use of physical restraint. In February 2006, the board issued a Code of Practice on Managing Children and Young People's Behaviour in the Secure Estate. All establishments have been assessed for performance against the code and have drawn up improvement plans. The board is closely monitoring compliance with the code. As part of its review, the board also reassessed the techniques approved for use in secure training centres and is piloting a modified system of Control and Restraint for use in young offender institutions for under 18-year-olds. The overall review is still in progress; the Youth Justice Board is currently working to improve the quality and range of data relating to behaviour management across the estate for children and young people.

Departmental Meetings

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings have been held between officials in his Department and  (a) members of the National Assembly for Wales,  (b) officials of the National Assembly for Wales,  (c) members of the police authorities in Wales and  (d) members of the police forces in Wales since 1 September 2005.

Tony McNulty: Officials in the Home Office have held a number of discussions with representatives of Welsh police force, Welsh police authorities and the Welsh Assembly. The Head of Local Government Finance at the Welsh Assembly Government represented the Welsh Assembly Government on the Police Restructuring Finance Working Group.

Domestic Violence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths resulting from incidents of domestic violence have occurred in each  (a) London borough and  (b) constituency in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The following data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MRS) gives the total number of victims of homicide which were identified as domestic violence related in all London boroughs from 2001-02 to 2005-06. I will write to the hon. Member with the data broken down by London borough when we receive it from MRS. MRS do not collect data at constituency level.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 35 
			 2002-03 24 
			 2003-04 42 
			 2004-05 34 
			 2005-06 34 
		
	
	MRS have attributed the increase in domestic violence related homicides from 2003-04 to the change in the force's definition of domestic violence to the Association of Chief Police Officer's definition which now includes family members (over 18) as well as partners and ex-partners.

Drink-driving

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that people charged of drink driving are tried soon after their arrest.

Vernon Coaker: A charge of drink driving will be made on the basis of results from an evidential breath test or from laboratory analysis of a specimen of blood or urine. We have taken steps to speed up this process by empowering the police to carry out evidential tests at the roadside rather than at a police station. Work is currently under way to enable suitable evidential equipment to be type approved for use by the police. Decisions as to prosecution and the subsequent timetabling of cases are matters for the Crown Prosecution Service and HM Courts Service.

Drug Intervention Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases in the five pilot areas of the Drugs Intervention programme  (a) handling stolen goods  (b) attenuated acquisitive crime and  (c) begging was the trigger for a drugs test in 2004-05.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2006,  Official Report, column 811W.

Drugs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related offences were committed by 16 to 24 year olds in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; what proportion each figure represents of all offences committed by 16 to 24 year olds in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally. The recorded crime statistics do not contain any information on the offender.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has conducted into the relationship between street prices of heroin and cocaine and the level of acquisitive crime; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In 2002 it was estimated that 50 per cent. of acquisitive crime was drug related. There has been no equivalent estimate subsequently.

Extradition

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for extradition from the US to the UK have been made in each of the last five years; and how many  (a) were successful,  (b) were unsuccessful and (c) remain outstanding.

Joan Ryan: Figures are given in the following table. Rather than use terms like successful with reference to extradition requests, we show the number of cases which have resulted in surrenders and the number which have closed for other reasons. The figure does not include requests to Ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have devolved powers to make or grant requests.
	
		
			  US requests to England and Wales 2001-05 
			   Total  Surrenders  Closed without surrender  Outstanding from the year 
			 2001 16 12 4  
			 2002 9 3 5 1 
			 2003 14 4 5 5 
			 2004 34 20 2 12 
			 2005 8 2  6

Firearms

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) seizures and  (b) disposals of firearms there were in each police authority area in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 July 2006
	The requested data are not collected centrally.

Firearms

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many operations firearms were issued to police officers in England and Wales in each year since 1983; in how many of these operations shots were fired by police officers; and how many police officers were qualified to carry firearms in each of the last nine years.

Tony McNulty: The number of operations in which firearms were authorised since 1983, the number of incidents when shots were fired using conventional firearms, and the number of Authorised Firearms Officers in police forces in England and Wales since 1996-97 are shown in the following tables. Statistics for 2005-06 are likely to be announced in October.
	
		
			  Number of operations in which firearms were authorised 
			   Number of operations 
			 1983 3,180 
			 1984 2,667 
			 1985 2,488 
			 1986 2,453 
			 1987 2,185 
			 1988 2,227 
			 1989 2,583 
			 1990 2,874 
			 1991 3,722 
			 1992 4,479 
			 1993 5,625 
			 1994-95 6,141 
			 1995-96 8,726 
			 1996-97 12,379 
			 1997-98 11,842 
			 1998-99 10,928 
			 1999-2000 10,915 
			 2000-01 11,109 
			 2001-02 13,991 
			 2002-03 14,827 
			 2003-04 16,657 
			 2004-05 15,981 
			  Note: Figures for operations in which firearms were issued to officers are not available for the first three months of 1994 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of incidents where conventional firearms were used 
			   Incidents 
			 1996-97 5 
			 1997-98 3 
			 1998-99 5 
			 1999-2000 7 
			 2000-01 9 
			 2001-02 11 
			 2002-03 10 
			 2003-04 4 
			 2004-05 5 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) 
			   Total 
			 1996-97 6,738 
			 1997-98 6,585 
			 1998-99 6,308 
			 1999-2000 6,262 
			 2000-01 6,064 
			 2001-02 5,776 
			 2002-03 5,763 
			 2003-04 6,096 
			 2004-05 6,243

Football-related Violence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for football-related violence in each police authority area in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The following table has been compiled from information provided by the Football Banning Orders Authority. It gives information on the number of football-related convictions for the seasons 2003-04 and 2004-05 in respect of each police authority area. Prior to 2003 information was only held centrally in respect of football-related arrests and the number of football banning orders imposed during each season.
	
		
			  Football-related convictions by police authority area 
			   Season 
			  Police authority area  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon and Somerset 39 6 
			 Bedfordshire 2 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 6 
			 Cheshire 52 24 
			 Cleveland 28 28 
			 Cumbria 7 1 
			 Derbyshire 53 32 
			 Devon and Cornwall 34 29 
			 Dorset 10 36 
			 Durham 6 2 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 
			 Essex 21 11 
			 Gloucestershire 0 3 
			 Greater Manchester 186 130 
			 Gwent 0 0 
			 Hampshire 173 44 
			 Hertfordshire 5 0 
			 Humberside 22 4 
			 Kent 4 0 
			 Lancashire 40 54 
			 Leicestershire 6 13 
			 Lincolnshire 32 28 
			 Merseyside 32 40 
			 Metropolitan 223 124 
			 Norfolk 21 38 
			 Northamptonshire 6 5 
			 Northumbria 63 14 
			 North Wales 25 26 
			 North Yorkshire 2 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 71 49 
			 South Wales 31 17 
			 South Yorkshire 43 44 
			 Staffordshire 43 17 
			 Suffolk 33 8 
			 Surrey 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 11 
			 Thames Valley 26 15 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 5 
			 West Midlands 187 148 
			 West Yorkshire 105 165 
			 Wiltshire 5 8 
			 Total 1,646 1,194 
			  Source: Football Banning Orders Authority.

Foreign Prisoners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) non-British EU nationals and  (b) non-EU foreign nationals are held in prisons in England and Wales, broken down by their country of origin.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the nationality of foreign nationals held in prison establishments in England and Wales is given in the population in custody detailed table 2.14 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics Quarterly Brief October to December 2005, available at the following web address:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/omcs.html
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Foreign Prisoners

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the foreign nationals detained at  (a) Highdown and  (b) Downview prisons on 1 July 2005 had been released by 1 April 2006; and how many of those released have subsequently been deported.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 July 2006
	Information on discharges is not available in the detail the hon. Gentleman requests.

Forensic Science Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of tests by the Forensic Science Service in each region were completed within  (a) four weeks,  (b) six weeks,  (c) two months and  (d) three months in the last period for which figures are available; how many took more than three months; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The percentage of cases completed by The Forensic Science Service (FSS) in each region within the timeframes specified is displayed in the attached tables, which distinguish between performance for the analysis of DNA suspect samples for inclusion on The National DNA Database, and scientific examinations conducted for forensic casework in respect of the range of offences investigated by police forces. The data is shown for 2005-06 and quarter one of 2006-07 (April to June 2006).
	
		
			  Table 1: 2005-06 percentage of tests completed by the FSS for forensic casework (exclusive of Road Traffic Alcohol cases) 
			  Region  28 days  42 days  60 days  90 days  90 days 
			 London and South Region 70.2 82.2 89.9 95.8 4.2 
			  comprising of:  
			 Metropolitan Police Service; City of London; Norfolk; Suffolk; Lincoln; Cambridgeshire; Hertfordshire; Essex; Bedfordshire; Kent; Surrey and Sussex.  
			   
			 Midlands and Wales Region 85.9 94.3 97.5 99.2 0.8 
			  comprising of:  
			 West Midlands; Warwick; West Mercia; Northamptonshire; Derbyshire; Leicestershire; Devon and Cornwall; Avon and Somerset; Dorset; Wiltshire; Gloucestershire; Hampshire; Thames Valley Police; Gwent; South Wales Police; Dyfed Powys Police.  
			   
			 North and North West Region 78.8 91 96.7 99.3 0.7 
			  comprising of:  
			 Lancashire; Greater Manchester Police; Merseyside; Cheshire; Cumbria; North Wales Police; Stafford; Nottinghamshire; North Yorkshire Police; West Yorkshire Police; South Wales Police; Northumbria; Humberside; Cleveland; Durham.  
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Quarter one 2006-07 (April to June 2006) Percentage of tests completed by the FSS for forensic casework (exclusive of Road Traffic Alcohol cases) 
			  Region  28 days  42 days  60 days  90 days  90 days 
			 London and South Region 72.2 84.8 91.9 96.2 3.8 
			 Midlands and Wales Region 88.7 95.2 98.1 99.4 0.6 
			 North and North West Region 79.1 90.9 96.6 99.2 0.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: 2005-06 Percentage of tests completed by the FSS for DNA suspect samples uploaded onto The National DNA Database 
			  Region  28 days  42 days  60 days  90 days  90 days 
			 London and South Region 97.2 98.5 99.6 99.8 0.02 
			 Midlands and Wales Region 98.8 98.9 99.5 99.6 0.04 
			 North and North West Region. 99.4 99.8 99.9 99.9 0.01 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Quarter one 2006-07 (April to June 2006) Percentage of tests completed by the FSS for DNA suspect samples uploaded onto The National DNA Database 
			  Region  28 days  42 days  60 days  90 days  90 days 
			 London and South Region 97.9 99.9 100 100 0 
			 Midlands and Wales Region 99.9 99.9 100 100 0 
			 North and North West Region 99.9 100 100 100 0

GCHQ

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conditions of service are of staff employed at GCHQ; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is an autonomous Department under the ministerial responsibility of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Staff at GCHQ are members of the Home Civil Service.
	Terms of employment and conditions of service for GCHQ are laid out in the GCHQ Staff Handbook and are based upon the Civil Service Management Code produced by the Cabinet Office.

Highdown/Downview Prisons

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prisoners were detained at  (a) Highdown and  (b) Downview prisons on 1 July 2005; how many of these were foreign nationals; and how many had not had their nationalities determined;
	(2)  how many foreign nationals are detained at  (a) Highdown and  (b) Downview prisons; when these detainees are due to be released; and how many will be considered for deportation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the prison population at Highdown and Downview as at 30 June 2005 is given in the following table.
	There were approximately 190 foreign national prisoners in Highdown, and 130 foreign national prisoners in Downview, at the end of May 2006.
	The figures have been drawn from the prisons administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	Information on release dates of individual prisoners is not issued publicly.
	As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made clear in his written ministerial statement of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 79WS, all non-EEA nationals who are given a custodial sentence should face deportation; and deportation should happen as early as possible in that sentence. He set out the eight priority areas in this area to achieve this objective which he has asked management to address.
	
		
			   Highdown  Downview 
			 Total population 740 240 
			 Foreign nationals 220 n/a 
			 Unrecorded nationality on prison IT system n/a n/a

HM Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is available to commissioning authorities of investigations within HM Prison Service to ensure that investigating officers do not have personal interests in the outcome of the investigations they are commissioned to conduct.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Guidance to commissioning authorities on the appointment of investigating officers is contained in Section 3.B of Prison Service Order (PSO) 1300Investigations.
	In particular it states that
	Investigators must have no significant conflicts of interest with the matter or persons under investigation. Should such conflicts arise within the course of an investigation the matter must be immediately referred to the commissioning authority.
	This is a mandatory requirement and commissioning authorities must ensure that this requirement is met.

Human Trafficking

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will expand specialised training to include screening and referral of potential trafficking victims for all front-line responders within the law enforcement, immigration, medical, educational and social services; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently in the process of considering the responses to the consultation paper with the aim of producing a final UK action plan later in the year which will provide an end-to-end approach of tackling the problem of trafficking in human beings.
	One of the areas being looked into is how to ensure an effective multi agency strategy including a review of the training requirements of all involved staff.
	This will build on the work undertaken so far within the Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) which is in the process of providing specialised training to 600 immigration officers at ports; the production of an online toolkit for all immigration officers; the establishment of the Airline Liaison Officer Network; the establishment of social work teams at five ports and asylum screening units principally to identify the particular needs of unaccompanied asylum seeking children and to safeguard their welfare.
	Additionally, IND recently ran a seminar on tackling human trafficking for senior and specialist IND staff, plus representatives from the National Crime Squad, the Metropolitan police and other key stakeholders which identified the challenges we face in this area and recommendations for taking forward work to deal with these challenges.

Human Trafficking

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many human trafficking incidents have been  (a) reported and  (b) successfully prosecuted in each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Statistics for trafficking are not broken down for each of the London boroughs but are provided for London as a whole.
	There are currently two pieces of legislation which criminalise trafficking. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force in May 2004 and the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004 which came into force on 1 December 2004.
	Prior to the introduction of this legislation there was only one conviction for a trafficking offence under the Immigration Act 1971 and this was in London.
	Following the commencement of the dedicated trafficking offences in 2004, the convictions in London are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 9 
			 2006 (to date) (1) 
			 (1) No convictions. 
		
	
	To date there have been no convictions for trafficking for labour exploitation.

Human Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 877W, on human trafficking, how many people were convicted for offences related to human trafficking in each of the last five years, broken down by category of offence.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 July 2006
	Dedicated trafficking offences came into force in 2004 under the Sexual Offences Act and then the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004. Prosecutions were made under offences in the Immigration Act 1971. There was one conviction in 2003 under that piece of legislation.
	In 2004 three people were convicted of related trafficking offences; these offences included:
	Trafficking into and within the UK
	Controlling a child prostitute
	Living off immoral earnings
	Possession of a false instrument
	Causing to become a prostitute
	Rape
	False imprisonment
	In 2005 32 people were convicted of related trafficking offences; these offences included:
	Trafficking into and within the UK
	Conspiracy to traffic in prostitution
	Exercising control over prostitution
	Living on prostitution
	Rape
	Conspiracy to kidnap
	Money laundering
	False imprisonment
	Causing or inciting prostitution for gain
	Keeping a brothel
	Theft of passport
	Conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration
	Conspiracy to forge
	2006 12 people were convicted of related trafficking offences these offences included:
	Inciting prostitution
	Trafficking into and within the UK
	Controlling prostitution
	Trafficking within the UK
	Manslaughter
	Perverting the course of justice
	Facilitation managing a brothel
	Forged and counterfeit documents

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a national police taskforce to tackle trafficking of  (a) women for the sex trade and  (b) children used for (i) begging, (ii) child labour and (iii) as prostitutes.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 June 2006
	We fully recognise the need for a coherent nationwide strategy to combat the trafficking of human beings.
	To this end we launched the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) on 21 June. The establishment of UKHTC came as a result of the success of Operation Pentameter, a national police led multi-agency operation which aimed to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation and which led to 234 people being arrested. Of these, 132 people have been charged, to date, with offences connected to trafficking.
	Following on from the success of Operation Pentameter the UKHTC will support the overarching aim of moving the United Kingdom to a leading position in relation to the prevention and investigation of trafficking in human beings. It will also become a central point for the development of police expertise and operational co-ordination.

Identity Cards

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in introducing identity cards; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Identity Cards Act 2006 provides the statutory basis for a national identity cards scheme and received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006. The Government are committed to the rapid introduction of identity cards but, as we have always made clear, this is an incremental process. Identity cards will be implemented in a phased way, starting with biometric residence permits for foreign nationals in 2008 and rolling out to United Kingdom nationals thereafter.

Identity Cards

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael), of 15 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2128W, on the cost of identity cards, how much has been spent in each financial year.

Joan Ryan: Total figures in each financial year for the costs of developing the identity cards scheme are as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 1.03 
			 2004-05 12.38 
			 2005-06 27.70 
			 2006-07 (1)5.30 
			 (1 )Provisional expenditure in April and May 2006.

Identity Fraud

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged with identity fraud in each of the last 10 years; and how many were convicted.

Joan Ryan: The Government takes the problem of identity fraud very seriously. There is no single offence of identity fraud. On 7 June 2006 we brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which created new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document for establishing registrable facts about another person, such as name, address, date of birth and other personal details, and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse. Investigation of offences under these provisions are already underway and statistics on the number of prosecutions and convictions will be published in due course.
	There is also a range of other criminal offences to combat identity fraud. These include, for example, the offences in the Theft Acts of 1968 and 1978 of obtaining property by deception (property includes money), obtaining services by deception and obtaining a money transfer by deception. The number of these offences that were committed using a false or stolen identity is not recorded centrally. However, identity theft and identity fraud questions were incorporated into the British Crime Survey in 2005 and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed.

Identity Fraud

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated to tackle identity fraud  (a) in 2006 and  (b) over the next five years.

Joan Ryan: There is a wide range of activity within the Home Office, Identity and Passport Service, other government departments, law enforcement agencies and the private sector to tackle identity fraud. This includes our plans for identity cards and the improvements we continue to make to the security of the UK Passport which are now issued with a digital facial image.
	The Home Office established the Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC) in 2003 to work with public and private sector organisations, to identify and implement cost-effective measures to counter identity fraud, and to co-ordinate the activity in this area.
	In addition to all the above, in the current financial year, a budget of 200,000 has been specifically allocated within the Identity and Passport Service to fund identity fraud reduction activity, such as our campaign to raise awareness among the public of how they can protect themselves against identity fraud and what to do if they become a victim. Funding for future years has yet to be allocated.

Islamist Terrorism

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle Islamist terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The United Kingdom faces a continuing threat from individuals who believe they can advance their aims by committing acts of terrorism here in the UK and against our citizens and interests abroad. The Government's counter terrorism strategyknown as CONTESTwas published on 10 July and explains the framework we have implemented to tackle terrorism in the UK.
	The key to preventing terrorism is not only improved security and legislative arrangements: these alone will not defeat terrorism. A key focus of Government are to engage in genuine and meaningful dialogue with the Muslim communities and to tackle difficult issues.

Mini Motorcycles

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) cautions and  (b) arrests were made for the illegal use of mini motorcycles in the London Borough of Enfield in each of the last three years; and how many such motorcycles were seized in the borough in each year.

Tony McNulty: The information is not held centrally.

Mini Motorcycles

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how often the police have used their powers to seize unlicensed mini-motors being misused on public land under the Police Reform Act 2002 and the Road Traffic Act 1988;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of encouraging greater use of antisocial behaviour orders to tackle misuse of unlicensed mini-motors on public land;
	(3)  whether he has estimated how many young people possess a mini-motor or off-road vehicle.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collected centrally.

Muslim Brotherhood

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations with links to the Muslim Brotherhood received money from his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how much each organisation received.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Online Passport Applications

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for delays in processing online passport applications; and what average time a person applying online waited for the delivery of their new passport in the last 12 months.

Joan Ryan: On 16 May 2006, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) introduced the second trial phase of its online passport application system, EPA2, from its Newport office.
	Soon after its introduction, the EPA2 system encountered technical problems, making the online application process less effective than desired. The IPS invoked contingency plans on 5 June and suspended the system, replacing it with EPA1, the earlier version of IPS's online application system, which is operating well. To ensure customers received the best possible service levels, IPS wrote to those customers who had applied through EPA2 and were still waiting, to recommend that they submit replacement applications and IPS has generally issued passports to these customers within a two days.
	Approximately 18,000 applications were received via EPA2 and all are expected to have been processed by 14 July. The IPS has issued 6.6 million passports this year.
	The EPA1 system advises applicants to allow four weeks to receive their passport. However, on-line applications are included in the IPS operating target to turn round 99.5 per cent. of straightforward applications for the standard service within 10 working days once we receive the completed and signed application (which for an EPA1 case will have been prepopulated and sent to the applicant for completion.) The IPS annual report and accounts, expected to be published later this month, will show that this target was met for the financial year ended 31 March 2006.

Operation Pentameter

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made as a result of Operation Pentameter; what the countries of origin are of those  (a) arrested and  (b) trafficked; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 June 2006
	There have been a total of 232 arrests made as a result of Operation Pentameter which to date has resulted in 134 people being charged with trafficking related offences. The majority of those arrested for offences related to trafficking under this operation are British, Chinese, Asian, East European or from the Balkans. The majority of rescued victims come from Asia, the Far East and Eastern Europe.

Oxycondone

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1330W, on oxycodone, what estimate he has made of the effects on  (a) the number of jobs and  (b) the balance of payments if producers of oxycodone formulations moved the manufacture of these formulations to the Republic of Ireland from the UK.

Vernon Coaker: No such estimates have been made.

Paedophiles

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered paedophiles are resident in the Northumbria police force area; what steps are taken by  (a) the police and  (b) other agencies to protect the public from re-offending by those registered; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Details of the number of registered sex offenders in the community are incorporated into the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) Annual Report for each police/probation area of England and Wales. The report for Northumbria shows that there were 851 registered sex offenders living in the in the area as at 31 March 2005. The data is not broken down by victim age.
	The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) imposed a duty on each of the 42 police and probation areas in England and Wales to work together to protect the public from sexual and violent offenders. MAPPA brings together the police, probation and Prison Services into what is known as the MAPPA Responsible Authority. A number of other agencies are under a duty to co-operate with the Responsible Authority. These include local social care, health, education and housing services.
	MAPPA provides for risk assessment which is more comprehensive, benefiting from a wide range of information; and better co-ordinated and more robust risk management planning, drawing upon interventions from the various agencies involved.
	A sex offender who is required to register, must within three days of conviction or caution (or a relevant civil order being made), notify the police, in person and at a prescribed police station, of his name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. If the offender is in prison on the day that this requirement falls due then he must make his notification within three days of his release. If an offender fails to comply, they commit a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Passport Fraud

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to combat passport fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is engaged in a range of initiatives designed to enhance the security of the passport issuing process and the UK passport itself. Because of the nature of fraud and the way in which criminals operate in seeking to obtain passports illegally, IPS takes a holistic approach to enhancing security. The initiatives which are under way are therefore designed to ensure that each part of the passport operation contributes to the security of the whole system and ensures the integrity of the UK passport.
	The IPS corporate and business plan for 2006-16 which was published on 21 April 2006 describes these initiatives and sets out its strategic objectives for fraud prevention. This programme of work includes:-
	Introduction of more secure passports incorporating biometrics identifiers. The first UK e.Passport was issued on six March, and rollout to all customers should be completed by the end of August;
	Introduction next year of mandatory interviews for first time adult passport applicants. Enhancement of management information, monitoring and sampling processes to enable the development of fraud reduction and identity authentication targets and objectives;
	The application, from March of this year, of the social footprint approach to confirming an individuals identity through the personal identification process (PIP);
	Using facial recognition technology to identify fraudulent duplicate applications;
	Continuing to improve the arrangements for the reporting of lost, stolen and recovered passports, and the storage and the sharing of that data with UK Border Control, and Interpol, and other agencies;
	Building on the 80 per cent. reduction in losses of passports in the post through the use of secure delivery, the implementation of measures including improved address management to further reduce losses;
	Continued development of PIP to deliver a more comprehensive biographical footprint check including on line access to UK birth and death records, and naturalisation/registration records;
	Further development of IT systems to build on the automatic checks of applications that already take place, to better link passport records to an individual; and
	Planning for the introduction of fingerprints in passports by 2009 including use of this technology to detect fraudulent duplicate identities.
	Data sharing and the positive validation of passport data is critical to the fight against fraud. The IPS has developed Omnibase which provides secure web access to passport information for FCO consular posts abroad, UK's Border Control authorities, The Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency, Criminal Records Bureau and other Government Departments. From July of this year, and building on successful pilots, IPS plan to extend this passport validation service (PVS) to financial institutions who receive passports as evidence of identity from customers opening bank accounts, seeking mortgages or undertaking other financial transactions. The pilots have already shown that PVS can support users in the identification of suspicious passports and prevent fraud.
	Finally, supported by the powers in section 25 of the Identity Cards Act that target the misuse of identity documents, IPS is continuing to work closely with the police service, UK Border Control and other Government Departments in operations to tackle fraud.

Police

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will visit Monkmoor police station in Shrewsbury to meet local police officers.

Tony McNulty: I will be very happy to consider such an invitation from any police force.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running cost was of each police force in England and Wales in each of the last three financial years; and what the estimated running costs are of each of the new proposed police forces in the next three financial years.

Tony McNulty: Estimated net expenditure by police authority in each of the last three years is set out in the table.
	Budget management for each police authority area is a matter for the authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for prioritising local needs.
	
		
			  000 
			  Police authority  Net expenditure 2003-04  Net expenditure 2004-05  Estimated net expenditure 2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 215,885 228,655 240,632 
			 Bedfordshire 78,229 83,055 87,283 
			 Cambridgeshire 99,149 105,303 112,674 
			 Cheshire 135,182 142,258 148,604 
			 Cleveland 103,727 109,579 114,811 
			 Cumbria 79,741 85,600 89,115 
			 Derbyshire 132,870 139,839 145,884 
			 Devon and Cornwall 220,160 233,170 243,711 
			 Dorset 95,565 101,678 106,977 
			 Durham 95,729 100,664 105,403 
			 Essex 212,756 222,081 232,229 
			 Gloucestershire 86,850 92,024 95,928 
			 Hampshire(1) 247,623 261,512 268,094 
			 Hertfordshire 143,155 152,728 159,458 
			 Humberside 141,993 150,592 156,909 
			 Kent 233,060 245,810 256,520 
			 Lancashire 216,769 228,935 240,365 
			 Leicestershire 130,089 138,065 146,276 
			 Lincolnshire 81,127 85,105 89,864 
			 Norfolk 113,530 121,310 126,989 
			 Northamptonshire 93,601 100,915 110,200 
			 North Yorkshire 114,454 121,967 126,166 
			 Nottinghamshire 158,152 165,744 173,367 
			 Staffordshire 149,082 157,082 163,905 
			 Suffolk 89,658 94,624 98,863 
			 Surrey 159,159 168,401 165,407 
			 Sussex 211,157 221,619 231,282 
			 Thames Valley 292,370 311,518 325,214 
			 Warwickshire 70,288 73,890 77,200 
			 West Mercia 154,505 165,838 172,791 
			 Wiltshire 83,784 88,292 92,612 
			  Total Shires 4,439,399 4,697,853 4,904,733 
			 
			 Greater Manchester 450,871 468,880 493,914 
			 Merseyside 282,861 294,835 307,130 
			 Northumbria 241,230 249,810 262,015 
			 South Yorkshire 207,210 216,571 225,363 
			 West Midlands 441,200 460,600 490,960 
			 West Yorkshire 345,577 363,701 382,975 
			  Total Mets 1,968,949 2,054,397 2,162,357 
			 
			  Total England (exc London) 6,408348 6,752,250 7,067,090 
			 
			 Metropolitan 2,430,765 2,583,401 2,488,300 
			 City of London 71,338 72,803 75,756 
			  Total England (inc London) 8,910,451 9,408,454 9,631,146 
			 
			 Dyfed-Powys 72,002 77,007 80,277 
			 Gwent 91,973 98,190 102,311 
			 North Wales 104,640 115,243 120,479 
			 South Wales 205,752 216,620 227,435 
			  Total Wales 474,367 507,060 530,502 
			 
			  Total England and Wales 9,384,818 9,915,514 10,161,648 
			 (1) Figure for Hampshire in 2005-06 was unavailable and has been based by CIPFA on previous trends.  Source: Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Police statistics2003-04 and 2004-05 Actuals; 2005-06 Estimates)

Police

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers per 100,000 residents there are in each police authority in England.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Police Officer strength( 1)  in England as at 31 March 2005, by police force area and officers per 100,000 population( 2) 
			  Police force area  Total police ranks  Total officers per 100,000 population( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,398 225 
			 Bedfordshire 1,232 215 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,418 194 
			 Cheshire 2,207 223 
			 Cleveland 1,689 305 
			 Cumbria 1,260 257 
			 Derbyshire 2,082 213 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,399 212 
			 Dorset 1,475 211 
			 Durham 1,738 293 
			 Essex 3,230 198 
			 Gloucestershire 1,308 230 
			 Greater Manchester 8,119 321 
			 Hampshire 3,803 212 
			 Hertfordshire 2,145 206 
			 Humberside 2,252 255 
			 Kent 3,630 227 
			 Lancashire 3,585 251 
			 Leicestershire 2,311 246 
			 Lincolnshire 1,234 185 
			 London, City of(2) 881  
			 Merseyside 4,339 318 
			 Metropolitan Police(2) 31,073 433 
			 Norfolk 1,554 192 
			 Northamptonshire 1,289 201 
			 Northumbria 4,088 294 
			 North Yorkshire 1,561 206 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,522 245 
			 South Yorkshire 3,307 260 
			 Staffordshire 2,309 220 
			 Suffolk 1,323 195 
			 Surrey 1,959 184 
			 Sussex 3,094 205 
			 Thames Valley 4,189 198 
			 Warwickshire 1,012 195 
			 West Mercia 2,380 203 
			 West Midlands 8,154 316 
			 West Yorkshire 5,671 271 
			 Wiltshire 1,229 198 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. Figures include those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan Police are combined.

Police Complaints Authority

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Question 80515, how many days a year were expected from Sir Alistair Graham as a member of the Police Complaints Authority.

Tony McNulty: Sir Alistair Graham was originally appointed as chair of the Police Complaints Authority in 2000 on a full time basis, but moved to a part time working pattern of three days a week in 2002, with the Home Office's agreement. That equates to 168 days per year before annual leave and public holidays had been taken.

Police DNA Database

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records are held on the police DNA database.

Joan Ryan: As at 30 June 2006, there were approximately 3,457,000 DNA profiles of individuals retained on the National DNA Database. This figure includes 18,056 persons who have provided a DNA profile voluntarily.
	In addition, there were 285,292 DNA profiles retrieved from unsolved crime scenes.

Police Force Restructuring

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of  (a) the compatibility of police computer systems and  (b) the implications of computer system compatibility for force restructuring in the West Lancashire and Cumbria areas.

Tony McNulty: Police forces and authorities in the North West region submitted a cost benefit analysis of the best options for police structures in the region, including estimated Information Communication and Technology (ICT) costs, to my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary (Mr. Clarke) in December 2005. This analysis was reviewed by the Home Office and a statement given by the then Home Secretary on 3 March 2006,  Official Report, column 44WS.
	A joint Home Office, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Association of Police Authorities (APA) and Police Information and Technology Organisation (PITO) working group has been established to work in conjunction with police forces to ensure that all ICT requirements, and associated costs, are identified in the Reform Programme.

Police Houses

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of the re-introduction of police houses on housing estates.

Tony McNulty: No such assessment has been made.

Police Mergers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials have been working on the potential merger of the Wales police forces since 1 September 2005, broken down by grade; and how much time each spent on the project.

Tony McNulty: Since September 2005 there has been a team of approximately 10 FTE civil servants and seconded police staff working in the Home Office on police force mergers. Precise numbers and grades have fluctuated.
	It is not possible to quantify how much of their time has been devoted solely to the merger of Welsh police forces.

Police Mergers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs have been incurred by each  (a) police force and  (b) police authority in connection with the police merger proposals in Wales.

Tony McNulty: This is a matter for the police forces and police authorities concerned and the information is not held centrally.

Police Mergers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the Chief Constable for West Mercia to discuss his concerns over the proposed merger of West Mercia Police Authority with others in the West Midlands.

Tony McNulty: I met the Chief Constable of West Mercia Police Force and the Chair of West Mercia Police Authority on 5 June 2006.

Police Mergers

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation his Department held with hon. Members from  (a) Lancashire and  (b) Cumbria before a decision was made not to assist with the harmonisation of council tax levels should the merger of Lancashire and Cumbria police take place.

Tony McNulty: No discussions have been held with hon. Members on this specific question.
	Policy on council tax is decided by the Government collectively.

Police National Computer

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what categories of information are contained on the police national computer; and who has access to the information.

Tony McNulty: The following categories of information are held on Police National Computer (PNC):
	VehiclesBoth DVLA information and those suspected of being involved in crime.
	PropertyCertain specific categories of identifiable property such as plant, marine craft, firearms.
	PersonsAny person who has been arrested for a recordable offence, convicted, reprimanded, or cautioned for a recordable offence, or is wanted or sought by the police.
	The police have access to PNC data and limited access to certain data items is available to certain agencies who have a 'policing' responsibility. Any non police agency who has access to PNC data has had to apply for the access through an Association of Chief Police Officers group, which applies the guidelines agreed with the Information Commissioner.

Primates (Experiments)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department does not grant project licences for experiments on wild-caught primates; for what reasons exceptions are granted; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: In addition to the stringent requirements in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regarding the use of non-human primates, the use of wild-caught non-human primates in scientific experiments is subject to supplementary additional considerations.
	We announced in 1997 that we cannot foresee any circumstances under which we would be prepared to issue licences under the 1986 Act for programmes of work involving the use of Great Apes (chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans), and that exceptional justification would be required for the licensed use of other types of non-human primates taken from the wild.
	The 1986 Act provides that non-human primates, whether captive bred or wild-caught, can only be used when no other species are suitable for the purposes of the programme to be specified in the licence, or that it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for those purposes. For the use of wild-caught primates to be exceptionally authorised, there must be no appropriate alternative, no suitable captive-bred animals available and the likely benefits of the programme of work would have to fully justify their use.
	In respect of applications to use wild-caught non-human primates, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate and the Animal Procedures Committee provide advice on a case by case basis on whether and on what terms such use should be licensed. Application of these stringent criteria has meant that first time use of wild-caught non-human primates in scientific procedures has not been licensed in the UK for some years.

Prisons

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nurses, doctors and other specialists in psychiatric and mental health care for vulnerable and at risk children and young adults have been employed by the Prison Service in each of the past 20 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of staff employed by the Prison Service in the psychiatric and mental health care of vulnerable and at risk children is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on family contact for female prisoners of the re-roling of HMP Bulwood Hall as a male prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have examined the impact of the change on the 100 women prisoners still in custody who were relocated from Bullwood Hall and their average distance from home is now in fact slightly less. It therefore seems unlikely that there will be a significant adverse impact on family contact. All women's prisons aim to maintain and promote family contact.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was paid in bonus payments to  (a) governor grade staff and  (b) operational staff at each prison establishment for each of the last 36 months; who authorised the payments; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Accurate information as to the amount of money paid to  (a) governor grade staff and  (b) operational staff in bonus payments is not held centrally and could only be obtained by reference to paper records held at individual prison establishments, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have occurred to the service level agreement developed as part of the performance testing exercise at HM Prison Wandsworth since its acceptance in December 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Wandsworth prison was awarded a Service Level Agreement (SLA) from April 2005, following the successful performance test.
	The SLA is a living document and has been reviewed to reflect priorities for 2006-07 and maintain the drive for improved performance. As a result, more demanding targets have been set in some key performance areas.
	The area manager and the regional offender manager continuously monitor delivery of the SLA ensuring that performance levels are sustained.

Prisons

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners currently detained were drug dependent on entering prison, broken down by age group.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Figures showing the percentage of prisoners who are drug dependent on entering custody are not held centrally. However, several research studies conclude that around 55 per cent. of those received into prison are problematic drug-users (PDUs) with 80 per cent. reporting some misuse. In certain prisons, up to 80 per cent. test positive for opiates on reception. A further study shows the breakdown of percentage drug misuse by age, in the 12 months prior to prison. It has also been reported that 76 per cent. of young men (18-21) were assessed as dependent on at least one drug.

Prisons

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) treatments and  (b) support are provided in prisons for drug misuse problems.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For drug misusers in custody, a comprehensive range of treatment and support is available. These address low, moderate and severe drug dependency and consist of:
	Clinical services (detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing programmes), available in all local and remand prisons;
	CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services), available in all adult prisons;
	Juvenile Substance Misuse Service available across the Juvenile estate
	Drug Rehabilitation Programmes -116 drug rehabilitation programmes, 40 of which are the Short Duration Programme, running in 103 establishments.
	Wider resettlement needs are addressed through the Drug Interventions Programme and for those released on licence by the Probation Service.

Prisons

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers have been subjected to disciplinary action as a result of allegations of racism in each of the last three years; how many prison officers have been convicted as a result of a criminal prosecution; and how many officers have been  (a) fined and  (b) dismissed as a result of disciplinary proceedings.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Central records on disciplinary cases involving public sector prison staff are currently being revalidated by reference to records held in individual prisons. I will write to my hon. Friend once this exercise has been completed.

Prisons

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) remand and  (b) sentenced prisoners with psychiatric disorders, broken down by severity of disorder.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of prisoners with psychiatric disorders is not held centrally.

Private Security Companies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of private security companies in England and Wales have been granted approved contractor status; and how many and what proportion of these have been granted a licence dispensation notice.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 20 July 2006
	The Security Industry Authority (SIA) estimate that around 2,500 security firms in England and Wales are eligible to apply for Approved Contractor Status (ACS). Of these just over 200, or 8 per cent. have been granted Approved Contractor status since the scheme came into force on 20 March 2006. This means that at 3 July approximately 15,450 operatives may be legally deployed under licence dispensation. All firms approved to date have been authorised to use licence dispensation within specified limits and subject to ACS terms and conditions.

Private Security Industry Act

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people requested a licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 in each month since April 2005, broken down by type of licence.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 19 June 2006
	Valid applications that could be processed in each month since April 2005 are represented in the following table. The Security Industry Act do not produce specific reports for each month broken down by sector. A number of applications that were not valid (for example because key documents were not enclosed) have also been received.
	
		
			   Number of valid applications received by the SIA 
			  2005  
			 April 3,938 
			 May 3,801 
			 June 4,045 
			 July 5,083 
			 August 6,270 
			 September 5,610 
			 October 7,386 
			 November 7,975 
			 December 8,785 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 11,402 
			 February 15,745 
			 March 18,452 
			 April 12,908 
			 May 14,715 
			   
			 Total 126,115

Private Security Industry Act

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have requested an application for a licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 but have not yet received the application form, broken down by type of application.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 19 June 2006
	This information is not available. However, the Security Industry Authority's (SIA's) despatch policy is that upon receipt of a telephone request the SIA sends out an application form within two days by first class post. There are two other methods for ordering application formscompanies can request via a bulk process and individuals via the website. These systems currently distribute applications within three to four days with delivery by data post and first class post respectively.

Probation Service

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he has taken of rurality in the consultation process on proposed reform of the probation service.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The consultation for the proposed reform of the probation service ran from October to December 2005, during which a number of respondents raised concerns about how locally specific arrangements would work. The new process for commissioning probation services will take account of the differing needs of differing areas. Through regional structures NOMS commissioners will engage stakeholders to inform their commissioning decisions on the range and volume of services that are needed and commissioned.

Racial Hatred

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will investigate allegations of incitement to racial hatred at the  (a) Hawza Ilmiyya College and  (b) the Islamic College of Advanced Studies, Willesden, London; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 April 2006
	The decision to investigate allegations that individuals and organisations are using inflammatory language or messages is one for the chief officer of the police force concerned.

Sheriffs

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has considered proposals for  (a) elected and  (b) appointed sheriffs to be established as part of measures to combat crime and antisocial behaviour.

Tony McNulty: We have considered a wide range of options for making services more responsive and accountable to local priorities on issues of crime and antisocial behaviour. The review of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 committed to strengthening the effectiveness of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) by setting national standards. These will require, among other things:
	Elected local authority members responsible for community safety issues to play a full part in setting community safety priorities;
	Subjecting CDRPs to periodic scrutiny by local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees;
	Requiring Basic Command Unit Commanders and senior representatives of other responsible authorities to hold regular Face the People sessions to respond to issues raised by local communities; and
	The introduction of the Community Call for action to enable local communities to trigger intervention by the local authority scrutiny committee if community safety issues have not been adequately addresses by the police or their partners.
	Setting out requirements on CDRPs/Community Safety Partnerships to consult, communicate and engage with their communities.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

Tony McNulty: Between the beginning of October 2005 and 5 July 2006, the only occasion when the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) raised a question about the content of a Home Office SI was in relation to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional and Transitory Provisions) Order 2005 (S.I.2005/1521). This followed a decision by the divisional court that certain provisions in the Order were ultra vires. There has subsequently been a successful appeal against that decision in the Court of Appeal.
	Reports from the JCSI contain full details of the statutory instruments which they have reported. SI 2005/1521 is considered in the Sixth Report of the JCSI for Session 2005-06.

Violent Crime (Licensed Premises)

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent offences in connection with licensed premises there have been in  (a) non-rural and  (b) rural areas in relation to (i) adults and (ii) under age people in (A) absolute terms and (B) per 1,000 population in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available centrally.

World Cup

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much additional funding has been made available to police forces during the period of the World Cup to help maintain law and order in town centres and other areas with high numbers of licensed premises.

Tony McNulty: None. The Police Service in England and Wales has had a huge increase in funding in recent years. The use of these resources is a matter for each chief constable and police authority to determine in the light of local and competing priorities.

Young Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2006,  Official Report, Column 122W, on young offenders, how much of the additional 45 million funding allocated to youth offending teams has been received by Sefton council; how many additional members of staff will be recruited; where they will be located; what their primary duties are; and how their performance will be assessed.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sefton Youth Offending Team (YOT) is receiving a total Youth Justice Board (YJB) prevention grant of 347,222 between November 2005 and March 2008, which it is using to fund its existing Youth Inclusion Programme (YIP) and a new Youth Inclusion and Support Panel (YISP). 177,222 of this comes from the additional 45 million funding and 170,000 is part of ongoing YIP funding.
	Two additional YISP staff will be recruited. These will be in addition to the existing YIP staff. Both new posts are located in the Sefton Centre for Restorative Practice in Stanley Road, Bootle.
	The primary duty of the YISP co-ordinator is to be responsible for the development and implementation of the work of the YISP, in order to ensure that the YISP delivers effective services to address the needs of children referred to the panel, within a restorative practice framework.
	The YISP key worker will be responsible for the management of a caseload and overseeing the delivery of intervention designed to address the needs of those children.
	The YOT has an effective workforce strategy to manage the performance of individual members of staff that is integrated with the council's performance management framework. The YIP and YISP programmes in Sefton will be monitored and supported through the YJB's performance management framework which ensures YOTs provide quarterly data returns to the YJB to gauge outputs and outcomes, includes monitoring by YJB staff, and provides for mechanisms for supporting individual YOTs should there be poor performance issues.